Three goals in the second half helped defending champion Man City defeat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in the first match of Group G Champions League.
Man City’s streak of 13 home wins in the Champions League over the past two years has been extended. However, on September 19, Pep Guardiola and his team encountered many difficulties at Etihad even though the opponent was only Red Star Belgrade. Leading 0-1 after the first half, Man City scored three goals in the second half to increase their winning streak in the 2023-2024 season to seven.
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The host attacked fiercely and finished 22 times in the first half alone – a record in the Champions League. But goalkeeper Omri Glazer’s excellence with the crossbar prevented Haaland and Man City from scoring any goals in the first 45 minutes, despite having an expected goals index (xG) of up to 2.55.
Unable to beat Glazer in the first half, Man City’s strikers at the beginning of the second half chose to trick the Red Star Belgrade goalkeeper before finishing. After coordinating with Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez escaped and handled it quickly, putting the ball into an empty net in the 47th minute.
The early equalizer helped Man City take the pressure off, while Red Star Belgrade faced difficulties when goalkeeper Glazer injured his shoulder. The injury caused the away team’s goalkeeper to make a mistake when he missed the ball on Alvarez’s half-pass, half-kick free kick in the 60th minute, helping the Argentine striker complete his double.
Without Kevin de Bruyne, Alvarez made everyone forget about the Belgian star with 2 goals and 2 assists
While Alvarez shines, Haaland’s partner is unlucky. The Norwegian striker hit the crossbar with his head in the first half, then in the air put the ball against the post in the second half. Haaland’s wasteful actions did not affect the result of the match, because in the 73rd minute, Rodri curled a goal at the edge of the penalty area, sealing a 3-1 victory.
Three goals are still too few compared to Man City’s statistics of 37 shots, including 16 on goal. The British representative maintained a record of not dropping points in the opening match of the Champions League in the past 5 years. In the next match two weeks later, the defending champions will be away at Leipzig – considered their toughest opponent in Group G. Red Star Belgrade will return home to take on Young Boys – the team also lost in the first match. with score 1-3.
