Man City 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Leverkusen End City Unbeaten Streak at the Etihad
Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrik Schick scored the goals as Bayer Leverkusen only needed those two shots on target to hand Man City their first home defeat in the UCL Group stage or phase in 24 matches. On a night where Pep Guardiola decided to ring the changes and give some starters rest, Leverkusen took full advantage and punished a City side that was rather wasteful on the night.
As earlier mentioned, Guardiola made significant changes to his side that lost to Newcastle last time out, Erling Haaland, Gigi Donnarrumma, Nico O’Reilly, Jeremy Doku, Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden were all on the bench as Omar Marmoush, Oscar Bobb and Savio were the front 3 in the 433, Rico Lewis also got a start in midfield. In Kapser Hjulmand’s 3421, Patrick Schick started up top with Christian Kofane and Malik Tillman behind him.
From minute 1, the UEFA Champions League match at the Etihad Stadium was characterized by a determined Bayer Leverkusen side capitalizing on Manchester City’s tactical rotation, leading to a surprising 0-2 defeat for the home team.
The opening stages of the game were action-packed. In the 5th minute, Manchester City came close to taking the lead when Nathan Aké went close to scoring from a half-cleared corner, forcing a superb tip-over from Leverkusen keeper Mark Flekken. However, Leverkusen quickly demonstrated their counter-attacking threat. In the 10th minute, a rapid counter-attack from the visitors created danger, requiring a smart Rayan Ait-Nouri key block to deny Ernest Poku.
The early exchanges saw Leverkusen and City register a few attempts, indicating their intent. Jarell Quansah had a header from close range that was blocked in the 11th minute, and Tijjani Reijnders had a shot blocked from the left side of the box in the 17th minute.
Leverkusen’s attacking efforts paid off in the 23rd minute. Breaking quickly on a counter-attack, Christian Kofane laid the ball off for Alejandro Grimaldo to drill a lethal first-time, left-footed shot from 15 yards past James Trafford, opening the scoring.
Manchester City attempted to find a quick response, but the Leverkusen defense and Mark Flekken remained resolute. In the 44th minute, Flekken made another crucial save, preserving the lead at halftime by stopping a right-footed shot from Tijjani Reijnders from the centre of the box.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola immediately responded to the halftime deficit by making a triple substitution, Phil Foden replaced Rico Lewis, Jeremy Doku replaced Oscar Bobb, and Nico O’Reilly replaced Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Despite the changes, Leverkusen continued their clinical performance early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Flekken was tested again but saved a left-footed shot from Nico O’Reilly from outside the box. However, the key blow came a minute later. In the 53rd minute, Patrik Schick doubled Leverkusen’s lead. Ibrahim Maza delivered a perfect cross, and Schick rose above Nathan Aké to guide a precise header past James Trafford.
City immediately pushed to reduce the deficit. In the 56th minute, Savinho missed a close-range chance, sending a left-footed shot from the right side of the six-yard box wide to the left. The growing tension led to the first booking for Leverkusen in the 59th minute, as goalscorer Alejandro Grimaldo was shown a Yellow Card for a bad foul on Savinho. Shortly after, Phil Foden had a shot from the left side of the box blocked in the 60th minute.
Guardiola made a desperate, attacking double substitution in the 64th minute, bringing on his star striker: Erling Haaland replaced Omar Marmoush, and Rayan Cherki replaced Abdukodir Khusanov. Haaland immediately got involved, having a header from the centre of the box that missed to the right in the 65th minute. The pressure intensified, and in the 69th minute, Mark Flekken made a fine save to deny Erling Haaland in a one-on-one situation after a through-ball from Phil Foden.
As the game entered its final stages, City’s desperation showed. In the 81st minute, Rayan Cherki missed with a left-footed shot from outside the box. Leverkusen made a late change in the 82nd minute, with Nathan Tella replacing Christian Kofane. The final card of the match was shown in the 83rd minute, as Leverkusen’s Loïc Badé was shown a Yellow Card for a foul on Rayan Cherki.
The match concluded with a full time score of Manchester City 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen. This unexpected loss not only cost Manchester City three points but also ended their 23-game unbeaten home run in the Champions League group/league stage.
