Man City won despite being two goals behind in the Champions League

Man City is the second team to secure the top spot in the Champions League this season, after Bayern Munich in Group A also with a winning record. Although Leipzig led 2-0 in the first half from striker Lois Openda's double, three attackers including Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez scored in turn to maintain the home team's winning streak. Leipzig is also consoled with the chance to advance, even though it is only in second place in the group.

Before this match, the last time Man City was two goals behind at the Etihad was when they met Tottenham in the Premier League in January 1. After winning 2023-4 in that match, coach Pep Guardiola called the team members "happy flowers". The comeback is the foundation that helps the team create a winning streak of more than 2 matches and win the treble at the end of the season.

This time, the situation was no less difficult for Man City than in the first half, when they conceded a goal in the 13th minute. From a goal kick by away team goalkeeper Janis Blaswich, midfielder Manuel Akanji misjudged the drop point and was unable to clear the ball. Center striker Openda took the opportunity to rush down to face goalkeeper Ortega, then shot a low left foot shot to the far corner to open the score for Leipzig. When he saw Akanji miss the ball, Guardiola turned away with disappointment.

Witnessing his student's lackluster play, Guardiola was visibly dissatisfied. At one point, the match stopped for a moment to allow medical staff to take care of Jack Grealish. The Spanish coach called all 10 remaining players to the sidelines to give instructions.

Before Guardiola's adjustments could take effect, Man City conceded a second goal, also from a personal mistake. Xavi Simons passed along the left sideline to Openda, as midfielder Ruben Dias came in from behind. However, Dias missed the ball, allowing Openda to pass and then rush down to face the ball a second time. The Belgian striker did not miss the opportunity to sink a shot towards the near corner to score.

Guardiola is famous for rarely making substitutions, or changing personnel late in the match. But this time, he took Dias out at the beginning of the second half, then brought in Jeremy Doku and Alvarez from the 54th minute. After only about 20 seconds on the field, Alvarez marked the goal. He passed down the middle to Foden, allowing the midfielder to poke Haaland through to face the goalkeeper before placing his heart into the far corner of the net.

The pressure Man City created since then reached its peak, when they kept the ball 80% of the time. In the 70th minute, midfielder Josko Gvardiol passed from the left into the penalty area for Foden, allowing the English midfielder to shoot a low left-footed shot into the far corner to equalize 2-2. That score also ensures the top of the table for the host, but Man City does not want to stop there.

In the 87th minute, Foden made his mark again with a pass from the left side of the penalty area into the front of the goal for Alvarez. The Argentinian striker held the ball for two beats without the Leipzig defenders being able to pounce on him, allowing him to easily shoot diagonally, sealing a 3-2 victory for Man City.

The situation in Group G also fell apart after this match, when Man City ranked first and Leipzig won the second place in the group. Swiss club Young Boys finished third and were relegated to the Europa League, while Serbian representative Red Star Belgrade ranked last and was eliminated.

Hoang An