Manchester City secured their first Champions League victory of the season, thrashing Slovan Bratislava 4-0 on Tuesday. Ilkay Gündogan, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and James McAtee all found the net, propelling City to four points from two games.
The Premier League champions, who won the 2023 Champions League, had previously drawn 0-0 at home to Inter Milan. Slovan’s defeat follows their 5-1 thrashing by Celtic.
“Got to give [Slovan] respect,” Foden told TNT Sports. “It was difficult to break them down. The atmosphere was unbelievable.
“We did the job at the end and we managed to find the space. On another night there could have been more goals, but we’re delighted with the 4-0. After the draw [with Inter] we had to get the win, so we’re on the right steps now.”
Manchester City dominated possession, camping in Slovan’s half and unleashing 28 shots, 14 on target, with three hitting the woodwork.
Gündogan opened the scoring for City in the eighth minute with his first goal since returning from Barcelona, courtesy of a deflection off Kyriakos Savvidis. Foden doubled City’s lead in the 15th minute, curling in a strike from Jérémy Doku’s pass.
Haaland netted his 42nd European goal in the 58th minute, slotting past Dominik Takac after Rico Lewis’s pass. He was substituted two minutes later, having scored his 11th goal this season.
McAtee then sealed the victory with his first City goal in the 74th minute, courtesy of Foden’s assist. “I’m over the moon,” McAtee said. “It’s what every kid dreams of, so it’s a dream come true.”
Manchester City’s unbeaten Champions League run now stands at 25 games, matching Manchester United’s record under Sir Alex Ferguson, which stretched from 2007 to 2009.
Image Credit: AFP