City Overwhelm Bratislava with 4-0 UCL Masterclass

Manchester City kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign in style, smashing Slovan Bratislava 4-0!

October 1, 2024
9:36 pm

City secured a brilliant 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Champions League, marking their first win of the league phase and extending their unbeaten UCL away streak to an impressive 12 matches.

Just 10 minutes in, Ilkay Gündoğan opened the scoring, reacting quickly to a blocked shot from Savinho to fire home from the edge of the box. It was Gündoğan’s first goal since rejoining City, setting the tone for a long night for Slovan Bratislava. City’s second goal came from a brilliant piece of interplay between Jérémy Doku and Phil Foden. Doku, showing off his dazzling footwork, angled into the penalty area before delivering a perfectly timed pass for Foden to curl into the far corner, leaving the Slovan keeper rooted to the spot.

The Doku-Foden combo continued to wreak havoc, with Doku striking the post with a superb effort, followed by Foden forcing Takáč into a desperate save that ricocheted off the woodwork. By this point, Slovan were on the ropes, and City’s clinical third goal arrived before the break. Rico Lewis, who put in an impressive midfield display, threaded a precise through-ball to Erling Haaland, allowing the Norwegian to round Takáč and finish calmly into an empty net for his customary UCL goal.

Guardiola decided to rest Haaland after the third goal, bringing on James McAtee, one of City’s promising academy graduates. McAtee wasted no time in making his mark, latching onto a Foden pass and smashing the ball into the near post to round off City’s fourth goal of the night. Even with their foot off the gas, City’s dominance was clear, and Slovan Bratislava never looked like getting back into the match. With City maintaining their momentum throughout the second half, they comfortably saw out the game, securing all three points and restoring confidence after a rocky start to the group stage.

Slovan Bratislava, meanwhile, faced a second consecutive 4-0 loss in the UCL, with their campaign starting in disastrous fashion. For Manchester City, the night was a job well done as they continue to assert themselves as one of the favorites for the Champions League crown this season. With their squad depth and fluid attack, City’s unbeaten run in Europe seems set to extend even further.