Man City book ticket to UCL Round of 16 with ease

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – Manchester City saw Young Boys beaten at halftime on Tuesday and their UEFA Champions League group stage campaign is done and dusted after just four games.

Pep Guardiola will want to secure top spot in Group G, but 12 points from a possible 12 so far means that, for the 11th year in a row, City will be interested in the knockout stages in the new year.

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Having reached the semi-finals in each of the last three years, qualifying their group will be seen as the first small hurdle cleared on the path to bigger things, but the race for trophies has to start somewhere. Looking at Guardiola’s side, it’s tempting to think that big teams should always squeeze through the groups, but less than an hour before kick-off at the Etihad Stadium, Barcelona were beaten by Shakhtar Donetsk in group H.

City are one of only three teams to hold a 100% record in this season’s group stage and are the first team to qualify for the knockout stages. You wouldn’t bet against them being the last team standing after the final at Wembley Stadium in June either.

“Of course we are incredibly happy to have qualified with two matches remaining,” Guardiola said. “People say ‘yes, the group stage is easy’, but you have to do it. In life, you have to do it when people expect you to do it.

“Sometimes you have to fight the tendency of what people think of us. The important thing is that it happens when people say we are qualified. The work is not finished, we have to finish first. [in the group] and play the second leg in the round of 16 at home. We have work to do but the first step to qualifying has been taken. I was really impressed.”

Having beaten Young Boys 3-1 in Switzerland two weeks ago, the second leg was effectively over when Phil Foden twisted around Ulisses Garcia to score to put City 2-0 ahead in time extra of the first half.

Erling Haaland had already scored a penalty 20 minutes earlier and Guardiola felt comfortable enough to replace John Stones with Nathan Aké. City face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday and ahead of the match Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Julián Álvarez all had a night off.

Haaland was not even expected to be fit after suffering an ankle problem in the 6-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, but he felt well enough to score a third goal just after half-time. By then, any hope of a comeback for the Swiss champions had faded, but to drive the point home even further, Sandro Lauper received a second yellow card and was sent off.

With his team trailing 3-0 and a man light, manager Raphael Wicky was happy to see Haaland out early, although Mauricio Pochettino might now grimace at the thought of a well-rested Norwegian turning up at Chelsea this weekend. Haaland hasn’t received the same praise as this time last year, but that’s now 15 goals in 17 games for the 23-year-old this season.

“Whether it’s in the six-yard box or the 18-yard box, he has the talent,” Guardiola said. “We saw in training [on Monday] how he moved and how happy he was. He feels good, so okay. He played, the work was almost finished and so he is resting for next Sunday.

“We are missing a little today, something sweet or soft [approach] during the last touch or action in the penalty area. There we weren’t good enough but the rest was really good.

“The word that has defined this group of players for many years is consistency. We have high standards and that is why we are still in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League.”

The worry for the Premier League and the rest of Europe is that City are starting to put their foot down. After three defeats in four matches, it is now five victories in a row. They have gone six clean sheets in September and October and are now two in their last three games.

City were so in control against Young Boys that the visitors failed to get a shot on goal. They couldn’t even find a corner. But there is no shame in being dominated at the Etihad as City extended their home winning streak to 23 matches. Sunderland are the only top team in English football history to have enjoyed a longer career, and this was achieved over 130 years ago, between 1890 and 1892.

City, who have not lost a Champions League match at home since 2018, continue to make everything look easy. Tougher tests are coming, but they’re moving up a gear.