Manchester City falls to Bayer Leverkusen in Champions League clash
Manchester City suffered a stunning 2-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night, turning what should have been a celebratory occasion into a nightmare, reports BritPanorama.
The match marked Pep Guardiola’s century of Champions League fixtures at the helm of the Citizens, yet it concluded in bitter disappointment. Bayer Leverkusen capitalised on City’s lacklustre display to secure an impressive away victory. Alejandro Grimaldo broke the deadlock with a clinical strike before Patrik Schick sealed the German side’s triumph with a well-taken header.
The result leaves the English champions reeling from consecutive defeats following their weekend setback at Newcastle United. Guardiola’s radical team selection proved costly as he reshuffled his entire outfield following Saturday’s Premier League loss, resulting in a disjointed performance.
City dominated possession early on but moved the ball with frustrating lethargy. Nathan Ake came close when his attempt forced Mark Flekken into an alert save, yet City struggled to create meaningful opportunities thereafter. Leverkusen punished the sluggishness through a swift counter-attack, with Grimaldo striking a precise shot past the goalkeeper to give the Bundesliga side a deserved advantage.
Schick extended the visitors’ lead nine minutes into the second half, rising above City’s defence to direct Ibrahim Maza’s accurate delivery past the goalkeeper, leaving the home side facing an uphill battle. Guardiola responded by introducing Erling Haaland, alongside Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, in desperate attempts to salvage the match. The Norwegian nearly made an immediate impact, but Flekken smothered his chance.
City’s peripheral players disappointed throughout. Omar Marmoush, Oscar Bobb, and Savinho squandered rare starting opportunities, producing ineffective performances in attack. The defeat carries serious ramifications for City’s European campaign as they tumble to sixth position in the league phase standings, now under threat of missing automatic qualification spots.
This would force them into additional playoff fixtures to secure knockout stage progression. The loss also ended City’s remarkable sequence of thirteen successive home triumphs over German opposition in Europe’s premier competition. Kasper Hjulmand’s Leverkusen left Manchester with a historic victory, their jubilant supporters celebrating a memorable night at one of English football’s most formidable venues.
