Defending English Premier League champions Manchester City came from behind to register a 3-1 win over Sevilla in their latest match at the UEFA Champions League.
Rico Lewis, Julian Alvarez, and Riyad Mahrez scored one each for the home team. Meanwhile, Spanish forward Rafa Mir was on target for the away side.
Coming to the match, Manchester City already secured their top position in the group. Their opponent Sevilla’s fate was also decided. So Guardiola decided to give their youngsters a chance to sign and made seven changes. Manchester City started with a typical 4-3-3 setup.
German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega stated under the goal. Rico Lewis, Ruben Dias, Aymeric Laporte, and Sergio Gomez formed the backline. Cole Palmer, Ilkay Gundogan, and Phil Foden were the chosen midfielders. Riyad Mahrez and jack Grealish started on the wings. Julian Alvarez was given the duty to lead the lines.
Manchester City Youngster Rico Lewis Breaks Record
The home side Manchester City had a good start to the match. Early pressure from the Citizens forced Sevilla goalkeeper Bonou to lose the ball to Grealish. The English forward then passed it to Alvarez who found Palmer. But the City youngster’s effort was off target.
Sevilla got their first chance in the twentieth minute. Rafa Mir got the ball at the right wing and found some space in a dangerous position. The forward’s effort was somehow saved by City custodian Stefan Ortega.
Soon after this, Rafa Mir gave Sevilla the lead in the match. Former Real Madrid midfielder Isco’s delivery at the second post found an unmarked Rafa Mir. The Spaniard made no mistake and guided his header past Ortega to give them away a lead in the 32nd minute.
Although Manchester City tried to respond in their own way, they failed to create anything else before halftime. As a result, Sevilla went into the break with a 1-0 lead. However soon after the restart, the Citizens managed to equalise through their young right-back, Rico Lewis.
Sevilla once again lost the ball in a dangerous area to Alvarez. The Argentine calmly spotted Lewis’ perfect run and found him with a pass. The young right-back’s effort then defeated Bonou to level the scores. With this goal, Lewis became the youngest player ever to score in his first UEFA Champions League start.
After this, Manchester City took full control of the game. Argentine forward Julian Alvarez gave Pep Guardiola’s side the lead in the 73rd minute. Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne found Alvarez with a superb pass. The forward then went rocketed past Sevilla’s keeper and netted the second goal of the match.
Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez sealed the victory for the home side after scoring with a brilliant finish. Alvarez won the ball from Carmona and played it toward the Algerian who calmly finished past Bounou to seal all three points for the home side.
With this win, Manchester City finished their group stage with fourteen points from six matches.
