Monday, 17 April 2023, Bengaluru, India
For years now, Manchester City FC has been known to break their piggy banks to buy players at extraordinary prices to rule the football world, only to find themselves short of the legendary silverware – the UEFA Champions League trophy. Awarded to the best team in Europe, the Champions League is a league played throughout the entire season where the top four clubs from different leagues in the continent take part. Manchester City is one of the best in England, with silverware coming in every form, but they are yet to triumph as the European giant.
Yesterday’s night was a special occasion as Manchester City beat one of the best teams in the history of European football, Bayern Munich. Scoring three thunderous goals, Manchester City displayed a performance rather enticing than just good. With defenses acting up almost instantly as soon as a threat prowled in the vicinity of the City’s goal, their attack had a subtle edge in the game. The first goal from Rodri from outside of the 18-yard box was a view to cherish for every football and Man City fan. Rodri beautifully curled the ball with his left foot into the right top corner of the Bayern goal, which Yan Sommer was guarding, but his efforts weren’t enough. This was the story of the first half that saw many big chances being created from both sides, out of which Rodri’s shined.
The second half was special. Erling Braut Haaland, the Norwegian powerhouse, was in the center of the other two goals scored by City in the second half. After Kevin De Bruyne’s exit to afford Bernardo Silva, it seemed as if the match would stop there, but it didn’t. Haaland channeled his energy to set up the second instead of being the one scoring. The chance came when Dayot Upamecano gambled too easily near Bayern’s defense only to lose the ball to Man City’s Jack Grealish. Jack cleverly spotted the run behind him made by Haaland, who was goal bound, and it was unanimous that he would score, but he did the unthinkable and lobbed the ball beautifully to Silva, who put the ball in Bayern’s goal with his head. As shocking as it was, Haaland’s thinking at the moment was impeccable. By the end of the second goal, Haaland had one assist to his name, and it was extraordinary.
Around the 75th minute of the game, Haaland was the one who faced Sommer immediately before scoring the third goal for City and making a record in the meantime. The build-up for that goal was via a corner kick taken by the Argentine World Cup-winning team member Julian Alvarez. He struck the ball straight into Bayern’s defensive box only to be headed toward Silva. Silva passed it to Julian, and he put it in the box again, hoping someone would connect with it and put the ball goalbound. John Stones was there and pounced on the ball from between two Bayern defenders to pass it to Haaland. Haaland did the rest. He created history by becoming the only Premier League player to score 45 goals across all competitions in a single season. The 22-years old Norwegian added yet another record to his name in his first season in the Premier League with Manchester City.
The evening ended at the Etihad with City fans enjoying every bit of the win. City will travel to Bayern’s home ground in the reverse fixture for the quarter-final second leg at the Allianz Arena.
