In the decisive eighth round of the UEFA Champions League, Manchester City hosted Turkey's reigning champions, Galatasaray. Thanks to determination, discipline, and a clear plan, the "Citizens" won with a score of 2:0, took the eighth place in the table, and went straight to the 1/8 finals.
The goals were scored by Erling Haaland and Ryan Sherkey. "City" looked as orderly as "tensioned rubber" in both attack and defense: even if they made a mistake, the insurance immediately worked.
This meeting was particularly significant for Uzbek fans in another aspect. Uzbekistan national team defender Abdukodir Khusanov played the full match and did not allow Galatasaray forwards to create "interesting" chances against Gianluigi Donnarumma. The choice of position, the first to reach the ball, and the confidence in long passes were especially noticeable - Khusanov behaved on the field "as if at home."
Experts from cityxtra.co.uk, a reputable source, assessed Manchester City's players as follows after the match.
Player ratings and brief impressions
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7
Osimhen tested him several times: a close-corner shot, and then two headed attempts in the second half. The goalkeeper "locked" the goal with his quick reaction and a powerful shot from the first touch.
Mateus Nunes - 6.5
Early in the game, he blocked a dangerous free-kick correctly, but made quite a useful move on the right wing. He feels more relaxed with each week, and after consecutive unsuccessful matches, it seemed pleasant to perform like this in the spirit of the European cup.
Abdukodir Khusanov - 6.5
It's clear that the more Khusanov plays, the more his confidence grows and his actions become more refined. In this match, he accurately distributed long passes across the field, while the hesitations felt in previous matches were almost invisible. An important characteristic is the speed of decision-making and calmness.
Nathan Ake - 5.5
In some episodes he lost the ball, in some situations he could have played even more cleanly. Nevertheless, he positioned himself correctly at decisive moments and contributed to maintaining the defensive line.
Ryan Ait-Nuri - 6.5
At the start of the game, he delivered an ideal pass to Haaland - the episode showed City had a plan. He intermittently joined the attack during the match, coming close to scoring himself in the 66th minute. An earlier beautiful pass failed to turn into a goal due to Foden's unsuccessful move.
Bernardo Silva - 5
He did a lot of work in the center, as if he were everywhere in the square. However, he made several goalless passes, which allowed Galatasaray to take possession.
Nico O'Reilly - 6
Although he has played more in midfield for youth teams, he feels much more confident in the left back position. There were no serious problems with ball control, he played with simple and correct decisions.
Ryan Sherkey - 7
Another brilliant game. The goal further revealed his impact on the attack. He, like others, is in the category of players who add an additional "plus" to their game every week.
Omar Marmush - 5.5
It was pleasant to be in the starting lineup after his goal against Wolverhampton, but this time he became the weakest link in attack. Around the 60th minute, Haaland's pass had a good chance, but he couldn't capitalize.
Jeremy Doku - 8
As usual, he created a big problem for the opponent: speed, feint, one-on-one advantage - everything worked. His assist at the beginning of the game turned out very beautiful. Unfortunately, he left the field due to injury, otherwise he could have brought more benefit to City.
Erling Haaland - 7.5
He could have opened the scoring earlier - he hit the ball with his head. He still found his chance: he calmly defeated the opposing goalkeeper Ughurjan Chakir, putting an end to his five-game goalless streak. On top of that, he came back to help and played one of his best games in recent weeks. This could become a "start" for a larger series.
Phil Foden - 6
He came off the bench and immediately breathed life into City's attack. Soon he came close to the goal - Guardiola's timely substitution affected the game.
Nico González - 5
Given that the game ended eight minutes before the end, there wasn't much time to do. But it helped maintain order in the center, and it was also an important performance for conducting game practice.
Tidjani Reynders - 6
Despite being in an awkward position after a head-to-head collision with Sanchez, he showed courage and continued the game. In the last 20 minutes, this substitution seemed justified.
The conclusion is that Manchester City not only achieved results on this night but also gained confidence. Haaland ruined the "goalless" mood, Sherki was useful once again, and Husanov, playing full-time in a big game, gave the Uzbek fans a signal that "I am suitable for this level." Now the most interesting thing is in the 1/8 finals. This is where the real Champions League begins.
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