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Slick City show spurs great expectations, again

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Till Manchester City break the Champions League hoodoo, every performance that tells the world how good they are will lead to this question: will it be this time? And so it was after a clinical takedown of six-time European champions Bayern Munich on a wet night in Manchester. Bayern Munich haven’t lost 0-3 in the Champions League since 2017. This season in Europe, they had won all eight games going into the first-leg of this quarter-final. On Tuesday night, City could have won by four and but for goalkeeper Jan Sommer, it certainly would have been more.

Soccer Football - Champions League - Quarter Final - First Leg - Manchester City v Bayern Munich - Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - April 11, 2023 Manchester City's Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Molly Darlington TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY(REUTERS) PREMIUM
Soccer Football – Champions League – Quarter Final – First Leg – Manchester City v Bayern Munich – Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain – April 11, 2023 Manchester City’s Erling Braut Haaland celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Molly Darlington TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY(REUTERS)

Since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016, it has been a tale of two City’s. They have been imperious at home with four Premier League titles and are in the race for a fifth, one FA Cup title and four League Cups. In Europe, City have made qualifying from the group league normal service but lost squandered a two-goal advantage against Monaco in the round of 16 (2017-18); lost thrice in the quarter-finals thereafter; couldn’t get back at Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in the 2020-21 final after a fine piece of opportunism from Kai Havertz and fell to a Real Madrid heist in the semi-final last term.

So, it fit that one day prior to the quarter-final Guardiola would speak of Jack Nicklaus and Michael Jordan losing more than they won. City have won nine successive games in all competition but a lot could still go wrong, beginning with the return leg at Allianz Arena on April 19. “Football is football, a home match in Germany is a home match in Germany,” Reuters quoted Guardiola acolyte Tuchel as saying. His bald pate glistening in the rain, Guardiola, who said he had aged “10 more years today,” agreed.

Yet, because City were relentless in attack and resolute in defence, this felt different. Kevin de Bruyne’s Shakiraesque swivel that left Benjamin Pavard trailing, Grealish’s back-heel that Nathan Ake pounced on and tested Sommer, Ilkay Guendogan’s back-heel that found Erling Haaland, Haaland’s assist for the second goal which would have made Kevin de Bruyne proud, Bernardo Silva slicing through three Bayern players were vignettes of the fluidity City showed in attack.

For effort, check out Grealish chasing a lost cause like he was a No. 9 after Dayot Upamecano and Sommer had a brain fade. Grealish forcing Upamecano to cut inside led to City going 2-0 up. For hunger, refer to Silva sliding to redirect a ball to Manuel Akanji deep in second-half stoppage time or Akanji swooping to conquer after Alphonso Davies had dallied on the ball when City were 3-0 up.

Grealish tracking back, a skill he has honed since joining City in 2021, Silva doing that on the other side but fetching up to head home the second, De Bruyne aiding in closing down, four central defenders deployed at the back making the right decisions – amazing how they handled it without stress, said Guardiola – and Ederson denying Leroy Sane made this a near-perfect defensive performance that sucked air out of Bayern’s forays.

An indication that it could be a nightmare for Upamecano came at kick-off when he slipped. An indication of Bayern being swamped by sky-blue waves too came early when Grealish cut in and Silva cruised past Davies to find Guendogan. Then, Haaland pressed Sommer and nearly scored. Bayern looked like they were wilting. The game wasn’t even 15 minutes old.

At Bayern, Guardiola had made Philipp Lahm comfortable in defence and midfield. Against Bayern, he got John Stones to play as centre-back who would move into midfield. The extra player there would stifle Jamal Musiala. Stones’ excellent header was the assist for Haaland’s goal, his 45th of the season and 34th in 26 Champions League games. It was also Stones getting between Leroy Sane and the ball that denied Bayern in the 84th minute.

Every time Stones moved up, Rodri would slip into defence. But when Stones found Silva on the right deep in Bayern territory, Rodri was there to receive the pass. Turning Musiala inside out, Rodri fired a left-foot curler for his first Champions League goal. One that came from less than half a chance and from his wrong foot, said Tuchel.

Bayern had hung in, begun the second half better and would have been in the game had Sane been more accurate. Till the 55th minute when Nathan Ake and Akanji made blocks as decisive as Ruben Dias’ in the 25th to stop Musiala, City faced a spell of pressure. But they turned it around with Grealish’s back-heel for Ake in the 57th minute and Silva’s virtuoso run two minutes later. The goals sapped Bayern, who missed targetman Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, and by the end, they looked ragged. Like most teams facing City.

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