Manchester City took a massive step toward the final four of the Champions League after a stirring 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
On a windy and rainy night in Manchester, the champions of England and Germany produced an engrossing spectacle, but it was City that showed the greater quality in the final third to reach the semifinals for a third-straight season as they seek a long-awaited first title.
Rodri broke the deadlock with a fine curling strike for his first Champions League goal on 27 minutes before Bernardo Silva added a second with a header to dampen Bayern’s resistance in the 70th minute. As the visitors wilted, City then snatched a potentially decisive third goal six minutes later through the competition’s top scorer Erling Haaland.
The match was the first time that Pep Guardiola had faced Bayern Munich since he left the Bavarians to manage City in 2016. It was also a repeat of his contest with new Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel in the 2021 Champions League final when Tuchel’s Chelsea side came out on top.
This time, Guardiola came out the decisive victor as City recorded a ninth-straight win in all competitions, by an aggregate score of 34-3
For Bayern, the decision to replace Julian Nagelsmann with Tuchel as coach ahead of the quarterfinals looks not to have paid dividends, at least in the Champions League.
Barring a seismic comeback in the second leg in Munich next Wednesday, Bayern will be exiting at the competition’s quarterfinal stage for a third successive campaign.
(ESPN)
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