UEFA Champions League: Dominant Man City wins 5-1 in Brugge

Riyad Mahrez scored twice as Manchester City produced a dominant away performance to put its Champions League campaign back on track with a 5-1 thrashing of host Club Brugge on Tuesday.

Published : Oct 20, 2021 08:36 IST , BRUGES, BELGIUM

Cole Palmer (pic), who scored the fourth goal in Manchester City's 5-1 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, became only the third teenager to score for the club in the Champions League after Phil Foden and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Cole Palmer (pic), who scored the fourth goal in Manchester City's 5-1 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, became only the third teenager to score for the club in the Champions League after Phil Foden and Kelechi Iheanacho.
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Cole Palmer (pic), who scored the fourth goal in Manchester City's 5-1 win over Club Brugge on Tuesday, became only the third teenager to score for the club in the Champions League after Phil Foden and Kelechi Iheanacho.

Riyad Mahrez scored twice as Manchester City produced a dominant away performance to put its Champions League campaign back on track with a 5-1 thrashing of host Club Brugge on Tuesday.

A goal from Joao Cancelo and a Mahrez penalty put the English champion 2-0 ahead at halftime at the Jan Breydel Stadium with Kyle Walker, teenage substitute Cole Palmer and Mahrez again adding three more after the break.

Hans Vanaken scored Brugge’s consolation goal with nine minutes remaining.

City’s comfortable victory came after it lost at Paris St Germain in its last Group A game and sees it advance to six points, two more than its Belgian host.

The visitor was on top from almost the start, dominating possession as it saw several early opportunities denied by tight offside calls.

Its breakthrough seemed almost inevitable, but it took a sublime pass over the top of the home defence from Phil Foden on the half-hour mark to set up Cancelo, who expertly trapped the ball with his chest before finishing from close range.

Mahrez was brought down by Stanley Nsoki’s clumsy challenge two minutes before halftime, with the winger getting up off the turf to take the kick himself and double the lead.

READ: UEFA Champions League: Salah scores twice as Liverpool beats 10-man Atletico Madrid

Kevin De Bruyne, on his return to his home country, combined with Mahrez to set up Walker for the third in the 53rd minute in what was a well-worked team goal, highlighting its quick passing and strong running onto the ball.

Raheem Sterling and Palmer came on at the same time as substitutes in the 64th minute and three minutes later the 19-year-old had his first European goal. Sterling hit a cross-field ball for Palmer, who steadied himself before finishing with his left foot.

"Cole has a special quality in front of the box, a talent that is difficult to find,” said City manager Pep Guardiola.

"When he has the ball there, most of the time it ends up in the net. It’s difficult to find that.”

But he made it clear Palmer would be brought along slowly.

"I know how it works with young players. We have to be calm and patient.

"His place is the second team but at the same time he trains with us and works with our principles,” added the manager.

Palmer became only the third teenager to score for City in the Champions League after Phil Foden and Kelechi Iheanacho and, at the age of 19 and 166 days, he is the 10th youngest Englishman to score in the competition.

"I'm happy with the goal. He could have done a few actions a little bit better, but that is normal. It is experience," added Guardiola.

Brugge’s first chance came some 12 minutes from fulltime when Charles De Ketelaere’s header forced a sharp save out of Man City goalkeeper Ederson and soon after Vanaken finished off a square ball that caught out the City defence.

But Mahrez capped off a champagne night for City as he beat the offside trap to finish off Fernandinho’s long pass for the fifth goal in the 84th minute.

The two clubs meet in Manchester on November 3 in their next group game.

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