Manchester City, who won the Champions League last season, had a tough match against Crvena Zvezda and needed Julian Alvarez’s skills to win 3-1 in their first group game.
On Tuesday, September 19, 2023, Manchester City began their Champions League title defense by beating Crvena Zvezda 3-1.
In the first half, Manchester City was the stronger team and took an incredible 22 shots at the goal, but they couldn’t score.
READ ALSO: Champions League: Chukwueze starts as wasteful Milan failed to hit the net against Newcastle
Match report
Surprisingly, Crvena Zvezda, against the flow of the game, scored the first goal just before halftime. Osman Bukari, a Ghanaian forward, was the one who found the net in the 45th minute. So, despite their dominant attack, Manchester City went into halftime trailing by a goal.
In the second half, Manchester City played like champions and quickly equalized when Julian Alvarez scored a goal, assisted by Erling Haaland.
Although Kyle Walker had a goal disallowed due to being offside, Manchester City eventually took the lead as Alvarez scored his second goal from a free kick.
In the 73rd minute, Manchester City scored their third goal when Rodri converted a pass from Phil Foden, which took away the momentum from the visiting team.
Peter Olayinka, a Nigerian football star, made an appearance for Crvena Zvezda against Manchester City. Although he started on the bench, he came into the game in the 68th minute. Olayinka is steadily climbing the ranks for the most appearances by a Nigerian in European competitions.
Manchester City managed to hold on to their lead and begin their title defense with a victory, earning three points.
READ ALSO; End of an Era? Messi, Ronaldo miss Champions League for the first time in two decades
