Report of the match in which Manchester City defeated RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Champions League; goals scored by Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez, and Jeremy Doku for Pep Guardiola’s team; Lois Openda had scored Leipzig’s equalizer against the flow of play; City has two games remaining and leads Group G.
00:06, UK, Thursday, October 5, 2023
Manchester City defeated RB Leipzig 3-1 in the Champions League thanks to late goals from replacements Julian Alvarez and Jeremy Doku.
The Premier League champions prevented City from traveling to Germany with a third straight loss in all competitions for the first time since April 2018 after back-to-back domestic losses to Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and Wolves in the Premier League. It was business as usual for Pep Guardiola’s team as Alvarez, who was substituted for Phil Foden in the 79th minute, curled a stunning strike into the far corner to restore City’s lead (84). They were briefly alarmed when Lois Openda converted Leipzig’s first shot on goal shortly after halftime (48), canceling out Phil Foden’s impressive opener before the break (25).
2KyleWalker10EmilForsberg21JanisBlaswich10JackGrealish31Ederson20BernardoSilva9YussufPoulsen3RúbenDias16LukasKlostermann24XaverSchlager47PhilFoden25ManuelAkanji16Rodrigo9ErlingHaaland17LoisOpenda22DavidRaum2MohamedSimakan23CastelloLukeba82RicoLewis24JoškoGvardiol13NicolasSeiwald20XaviSimonsGiven their utter control in the first half, City did not appear to need any late heroics from the bench. The defeat on Saturday at Molineux lacked a distinct calm that Rodri’s presence, who is presently serving a domestic suspension, contributed.
However, Rico Lewis, who was paired with him in midfield, captured everyone’s attention with his tenacity in gaining possession and his darting dashes. After making a fantastic spin in the area, Lewis had City’s first real chance, but his shot was stopped.
After 25 minutes, another attack Lewis started led to City’s first goal. The vivacious teenager advanced and exchanged passes with Silva before drawing back for Foden in the vicinity. The representative of England responded with a first-time shot that evaded Janis Blaswich.
They took the place of the benched Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes, Mateo Kovacic, Julian Alvarez, and Jeremy Doku. One of the stand-ins was John Stones.
Leipzig RB Two players were substituted from the squad that started Saturday’s 2-2 Bundesliga draw at home against Bayern Munich by Marco Rose.
Kevin Kampl was benched in favor of Nicolas Seiwald, while Lukas Klostermann took over for Benjamin Henrichs.Moments after the restart, Jack Grealish dropped a pass, allowing Leipzig to launch a counterattack, undoing all their hard work. Openda was let free by Yussuf Poulsen, and the Belgian international sprinted past Ederson to score a low shot off the base of the post that beat him.
When he shot wide and then missed the mark after a Foden cross, Haaland squandered two excellent chances to give City the lead back. Foden took a step closer when he curled a wide-angled free-kick against the crossbar, but Haaland’s anger persisted when he fired at Blaswich and missed another opportunity.
When Emil Forsberg was unable to find a teammate in the area and Ederson had to punch clear the ball when replacement Timo Werner broke free, City was saved from being caught on the break once more. Doku set Alvarez up for a stunning lob over Blaswich from the edge of the box as a result of Guardiola’s modifications. Then, in the 92nd minute, Doku sealed the victory by finishing off a swift break as Leipzig suffered as a result of pressing players forward.
Pep: Everyone was perfect | ‘Lewis is outstanding’
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, said to TNT Sports, “We played a terrific game in all aspects. Everybody was flawless.
“The replacements did not grumble because they did not start; they all came off the bench with grins on their faces.
I won’t evaluate my team based on performance. Although the outcomes of the two previous games were not ideal, it is difficult when both sides defend with 10 players in the box. It occurs. Games are numerous.
“However, if you believe I would distrust my players, you are mistaken. I can always count on these folks. They offer proof. Next, we travel to Arsenal, have a break, and perhaps by May, we will be ready for competition.
Regarding Rico Lewis’ performance as the game’s MVP, Guardiola exclaimed: “Wow! He is a great player who is fantastic. I have numerous years of management experience. It’s hard to find a player who moves as well as he does. Aged 18 years old, he. He is an excellent player. Foden: ‘Magical’ Alvarez changed the game
The previous two games have not been good for us, according to Manchester City forward Phil Foden, who spoke to TNT Sports. We had to make amends for the two poor outcomes we had previously received.
“We are aware of Leipzig’s values. The last time we faced them, we played extremely well in the first half before they came out and played well in the second.
Foden adds this about Julian Alvarez and Rico Lewis: “Julian was wonderful. This season, he has excelled. We now look on him to score the important goals. He entered the game, transformed it, and is a key player for us.
Rico was excellent for us as well. He repeatedly crossed lines. I’m thrilled for him, and it’s good to play with a fellow academy player.
Danny Mills, a former defender for Manchester City, responds to Wednesday’s 3-1 victory against RB Leipzig in the Champions League.
Rose: Leipzig learning from the best
Even though it was 1-1 in the 83rd minute and we had hoped to hold on until the finish, Manchester City deserved to win, according to Marco Rose, the manager of RB Leipzig.
“We played well after the interval and scored to tie the score. The game was then open, but City again put us under pressure at the very end. We are studying under the greatest.
Opta stats: Alvarez stars again for Man City
Julian Alvarez of Manchester City has scored four goals in his past three Champions League games after scoring only two in his previous nine.
With 16 consecutive victories in European play, Manchester City has the longest winning streak of any English team competing on the continent (tied with four other teams).With their first road victory in the Champions League since a 4-0 triumph against Sevilla in September 2022, Manchester City’s victory snapped a string of five straight away draws in the competition.In 29 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City, Rico Lewis got his first assist. He is City’s youngest assister in the Champions League at the age of 18 years and 317 days.
The match between Manchester City and Arsenal in the Premier League will take place at the Emirates Stadium and will be shown live on Sky Sports at 4 p.m. on Super Sunday (kickoff is at 4.30 p.m.).
Then, on October 21 at 3 p.m., Pep Guardiola’s team will face Brighton in the Premier League before returning to Champions League play on October 25 at 8 p.m. when they travel to Young Boys.
Next up for RB Leipzig is a Saturday (2.30 p.m. kickoff) Bundesliga match at home versus VfL Bochum. They then play Red Star Belgrade at home in the Champions League on October 25 (kickoff 8pm), after which they travel to SV Darmstadt 98 in the league on October 21 (kickoff 2.30pm).
