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MOTD: Manchester City 3-2 Bayern Munich

By on November 25, 2014

Of course Sergio Aguero was Manchester City’s hat-trick hero. Down 2-1, he score twice more to give City a vital Champions League win. Considering the importance of the UCL to City, it was a re-run of their famous title-winning comeback on the last day of the Premier League season in 2011/2012. Of course it was Aguero who won and then score City’s early penalty, and then both comeback goals. Now, they are still bottom of UCL Group E, but with a win against Roma they are all but into the knockout stages for the second year running.

But of all people, the last person one would expect to lose it for Bayern Munich would be Xabi Alonso. On his 33rd birthday, having scored Bayern’s first via a brilliant free-kick, he would be probably the last person who you would expect to give the ball up to start City’s two-on-two break that Aguero equalized from in the eighty-fourth minute. Of all people, it would not not be Alonso who you would except to lose concentration.

In fact, Aguero might not be as much of City’s savior as Bayern themselves. Jerome Boateng’s miskick also gifted City their winner, Aguero their second and Mehdi Benatia’s challenge that lead to City’s penalty from which they scored their first. All uncharacteristic of Bayern, but before criticism is dished out, remember while that Bayern would have loved a win, the result didn’t affect their standing at the top of Group E. And, for the majority of the match, they were handicapped playing with ten men after Benatia’s sending off. All while City were gunning for perhaps their most important result of their season.

And for the majority of the match Pep Guardiola’s men were dominant. Early on Sebastian Rode so nearly put them ahead after Arjen Robben found his small diagonal run with a chipped pass, but Joe Hart came out to make the save. Robben then came close, and it really wasn’t until Aguero was put in on goal, with Benatia chasing at his heels. Aguero drew the penalty, and though Manuel Neuer dove the right way he failed to reach the ball as it settled into the bottom right corner. For City, it was a gift. Benatia’s challenge earned him a sending off, and things began to look promising for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.

But of course, that is when everything blew up in their faces. Though they pressed in the minutes after the goal, and Frank Lampard’s twenty-five yard screamer twenty-five minutes in came inches away from doubling their lead, Bayern slowly interred their dominance once more. In the period between Aguero’s goal and halftime, Bayern completed more than double the passes City did, and, of course, turned the match on its head. Xabi Alonso managed to score with a low twenty-yard free-kick, completely tricking an immobile Hart, and right on the brink of the half Robert Lewandowski got in-between Eliaquim Mangala and Vincent Kompany to direct a Jerome Boateng cross into the bottom right corner. At that moment, it seemed a typical moment that just about summed up City’s season up until that point. So much promise, but it ended in bitter disappointment.

That is, up until now – which could be a turning point. Certainly, it increases their odds of qualifying to the Champions League knockout stages. And what a way to turn it around. Eighty-five minutes in, as the second period became increasingly stretched, City broke through. Aguero intercepted Xabi Alonso’s squad pass, and broke away from everybody else before tucking the ball past Neuer and in off the base of the right-hand post. City would have been happy enough with a draw, but to top it off, a minute into three of stoppage time, Boateng scuffed his clearance and Agueor pounced, and once again beat Neuer with his finish one-on-one. It was the kind of finish that could rejuvenate City, who up until tonight been underperforming in the league and Champions League – they do, still, need a win over Roma to advance after losing to CSKA Moscow last time out.
Man of the Match: Sergio Aguero

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.