Kevin De Bruyne, after returning from injury, immediately asserted himself as Man.City’s star on important occasions. The Belgian star inspired Man.City to a 3-1 victory at FC Copenhagen in the first leg of the 1/8 round.
By scoring one goal and contributing to two others, De Bruyne helped the English champions continue their quest to defend their European crown. With 9 consecutive wins in the Champions League since last season, that is a record for an English team. Man.City is also creating 10 consecutive victories in all competitions in the past 2 months. Those numbers suggest it will take something special to stop Pep Guardiola’s defending champions. “The biggest players appear on the biggest stages,” coach Guardiola said when asked about De Bruyne’s performance. “It’s not a decisive result but it’s a good result. Hopefully we can make it to the quarterfinals.”
A mistake by goalkeeper Ederson led to Copenhagen’s equalizer in the 34th minute, but few people thought the Danish champions had hope of turning the tide in the return leg in Manchester in three weeks. In particular, De Bruyne seems to have returned to top form after a five-month absence due to a hamstring injury on the opening day of the season – with nine goal contributions in six matches since his return. . “I’m getting there, feeling good and my level is good enough at the moment,” De Bruyne said humbly. “I’m just trying to play good football and enjoy myself. It has been five to six months but I am happy to help the team win matches.”
There is a huge gap in the quality of the English and European champions against a team playing in the last 16 of the Champions League for only the second time – and the first since 2010-11. De Bruyne scored the opening goal at Parken with a low shot into the far corner in the 10th minute, after catching a pass from Phil Foden on the right side of the penalty area. FC Copenhagen, who had not played a match in two months due to the Danish league’s hiatus, were outplayed in the first half – by the 20th minute, Man.City had 85% possession.
The home team’s surprise equalizer came in the 34th minute thanks to midfielder Magnus Mattsson – who marked not only his Copenhagen debut but also his first match in the Champions League. But Man.City regained the lead in the first minute of injury time of the first half. Although the combination was not beautiful, Bernardo Silva’s finish was definitely irreproachable. Man.City’s third goal came in stoppage time of the second half when De Bruyne assisted Phil Foden to score. “There is no player in the world who passes the ball better,” Foden said of teammate De Bruyne.
But coach Guardiola has reason to be disappointed by the injuries of Jack Grealish and Silva after the pair limped off the field. Grealish, who started the match for the first time in more than a month, was substituted after just 21 minutes with a groin problem. While Silva suffered a serious ankle injury in the second half. Man.City will face Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, and face a crucial March with matches against Man.United, Liverpool, Brighton and Arsenal.
