Manchester City vs FC Copenhagen. UEFA Champions League First Knockout Round.
Etihad StadiumAttendance51,531.
6-2
Match report as Champions League holders take their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen at the Etihad Stadium with goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland; "They are going to win it," says opposition boss
Thursday 7 March 2024 09:43, UK
Manchester City eased their way into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen to secure a 6-2 aggregate win.
Goals from Manuel Akanji and Julian Alvarez inside the first nine minutes of the match ended any threat of a shock and though Mohamed Elyounoussi pulled one back for the Danish side, Erling Haaland scored his inevitable goal before the half was out.
Pep Guardiola left Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden on the bench, withdrawing Rodri at half-time - an indication that the holders fancied that the job had been all but done in Denmark. They go into the Premier League title clash with Liverpool on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, in good shape.
Having retained only four of the starting line-up that saw off Manchester United at the weekend, there was an opportunity for some of the fringe players to impress and Oscar Bobb was particularly lively from the outset. It did not take City long to ease ahead.
Alvarez's outswinger from a corner on the right found Akanji marked at the near post but not tightly enough. The centre-back was able to swing his right foot at the ball and score with a side-footed volley. There was not much tension to ease but that did it.
Alvarez had a goal of his own inside nine minutes but this owed much to Kamil Grabara's error in the Copenhagen goal. Rodri had struck the frame of the goal with the initial chance and when Alvarez shot on the angle, the goalkeeper fumbled it into his own net.
Elyounoussi, the former Southampton forward, did give the away support a lift, however, with perhaps the goal of the night. Running from deep, he threaded the ball in behind and Orri Oskarsson's clever backheel allowed him to collect the return pass and score.
Enter Haaland. The striker was not among those rested, aiming to add to his Champions League tally, and he had his goal in first-half stoppage-time. Seizing upon Rodri's angled pass, the Norwegian dropped the shoulder and fired low into the net to make it three.
The second half was largely uneventful but for Matheus Nunes suffering a dislocated finger and Rico Lewis's deflected strike that hit the crossbar in stoppage-time.
Guardiola managed to avoid more serious injuries to his side, coming through this tie unscathed and keeping hopes of an unlikely repeat of the treble alive.
"The first two goals made it easier for us because then we are already up four goals," player of the match Akanji told TNT Sports. "It was really hard for them to come back We had a phase where we did not play very well but we did what we had to do today."
With Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all through to the quarter-finals, the latter stages of this season's Champions League look stacked. But Guardiola's side still look to be the team to beat as they seek to retain the trophy.
"We will see how the tournament goes but we are feeling good right now," added Akanji. "We are confident going into the next round. We are one of the favourites but we still have to prove it."
"We scored early on. We knew it, this game is just who scored. We were lucky to do it with a corner and Julian. Next round and still we are there in this competition."
Asked why Haaland played almost the entire game, staying on even after progression was all but guaranteed, Guardiola told TNT Sports: "He needs rhythm. He needs to play. We need him. He made an incredible goal, really nice one. Really good."
Who can stop City? Nobody, according to the opposition boss at the Etihad on Wednesday evening. "They are going to win it," said Jacob Neestrup, the Copenhagen manager. "They are. We have played very good teams but they are just a level up."
With City having lost only one two-legged tie in the Champions League in five years - that dramatic defeat to Real Madrid - he has a point. Does Guardiola agree? "I think we are well respected by our opponents. The consistency is there," he explained.
"I felt the people when we arrived from a club like Barcelona and Bayern Munich - where they demand to always be there - I felt the club, not the players, didn't feel it.
"We are here because we needed time. People, managers don't get time, hierarchies don't get time. But they gave us time to lose against Monaco, lose against Liverpool, lose against Tottenham - all (part of) the process to do it, because when a team comes from never ever being in that position, you cannot do it.
"It is easy for clubs that have big history - start with the best ones, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich or Man United - they have been used to it.
"You need time and they gave me time. Now we are in a process where we can lose, definitely, but we can compete everywhere because we've come from the final, semi-final, final, now the quarter-finals again. That means our consistency in Europe."
Champions Man City head to Anfield on Sunday to face title rivals Liverpool in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports from 3pm; kick-off 3.45pm.
Copenhagen host struggling Lygnby in the Danish Superliga on Sunday; kick-off 3pm.
Anthony Joshua's heavyweight showdown with Francis Ngannou takes place on Friday March 8, live on Sky Sports Box Office with the main event expected around 11pm. Book Joshua vs Ngannou now!
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