Sport

UCL: Arsenal trounce Sporting as City surrender three-goal lead to draw at Etihad

November 26, 2024 11:23 pm

Gabrielle Martinelli scores Arsenal's opener in their 5-1 thrashing of Sporting Lisbon.

Manchester City surrendered a three-goal lead to draw 3-3 against Feyenoord in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) group-stage encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s side were expected to end their poor run of form that has seen the 2022/23 UCL champions suffer five consecutive defeats, and an Erling Haaland brace put them on the road to redemption before a surprise collapse in the last 15 minutes of the encounter.

Haaland put the home side ahead from the penalty spot just before the interval in a nervy first half for Man City. However, they improved in the second period, with Ilkay Gundogan doubling their lead with a deflected strike on 50 minutes before Haaland completed his brace three minutes later with a stabbed shot.

Lack of concentration and mistakes saw Man City allow their Dutch visitors back in the game, Josko Gvardiol gifting Feyenoord the ball with a poor back pass that Anis Hadj Moussa pounced upon to round Ederson Moraes, the goalkeeper, before slotting into an empty net on 75 minutes.

Santiago Gimenez then chested in a cross for the second goal on 82 minutes before David Hancko headed in the equalizer into an empty net after Ederson rushed out but failed to stop a long ball, allowing the visitors to complete an improbable comeback on 89 minutes.

Result means Man City have failed to win in six consecutive matches for the first time since 2006. The club is also the first-ever side in the UCL to lead by three goals with 15 minutes left on the clock but failed to win the match.

Elsewhere, Arsenal scored three goals in the first half to secure an easy 5-1 victory at Sporting Lisbon. Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka, and Leandro Trossard all scored to ensure the Gunners strolled to victory.

Atletico Madrid defeated Victor Olatunji’s Sparta Prague 6-0, the Nigerian forward coming on in the 60th minute but could not impact the match. Atalanta rested Ademola Lookman in their 5-1 win against Young Boys, while Bayern Munich piled more European misery on Paris Saint-Germain with a 1-0 defeat in Germany. Robert Lewandowski scored his 100th and 101st UCL goals in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Brest.

RESULTS