Manchester City v Feyenoord: Champions League – live

Highlight only the main events.

Please enable JavaScript to access this feature.

Samuel Campbell expresses his thoughts: "I can see why a penalty was awarded, but I believe that giving a direct shot at goal for that kind of foul is excessive. Feyenoord didn't benefit at all from the situation. Haaland managed to pass the ball, and a City player still got a shot off. We need to reconsider the consequences for these less significant offenses in the penalty area."

Justin Kavanaugh: “It looks like the band City has entered their mid-70s Faces era. Their leading member may be basking in fame after achieving global success, but it seems they understand they can never quite measure up without Rod.”

They're also lacking KDB, just like Ronnie Lane.

Chris Lawton stated, “Last season, Real Madrid demonstrated a successful strategy for defeating Manchester City. Teams that form a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 formation often position themselves defensively, maintaining a compact shape while allowing City to dominate possession near the penalty area. They then aim to exploit counterattacking opportunities when possible (as seen in the FA Cup Final). It's surprising that Pep Guardiola hasn't devised a different approach, such as the clear option of advancing the ball more rapidly.”

Michiel Vos: "As a Feyenoord supporter, I might be a bit partial, but I can't help but say that the lettering on the Man City jersey makes Comic Sans look stylish in comparison."

Peter Oh: “I suppose it requires some heavy-duty effort to stop the powerful Norwegian goal scorer.”

The person who awarded the penalty was Quinten Timber, one of the Timber twins.

Half-Time Score: Man City 1, Feyenoord 0

A well-earned advantage? City still isn't performing at their best. They secured their goal from a somewhat lucky penalty decision. Feyenoord might feel they were unfortunate, as they were starting to gain momentum in the match. Haaland converted his penalty with evident frustration and intensity.

45 minutes: There was a noticeable burst of energy following that goal, with everyone feeling a sense of relief. Haaland didn't seem to show much joy. Guardiola appeared more pleased than he has been in a while, but he wasn't exactly over the moon. He and Juanma continued to engage in a serious discussion.

Haaland's Penalty Seals 1-0 Win For City

After a long wait, Haaland maintains his composure while the Feyenoord goalkeeper takes an excessive amount of time. Pep turns away, unable to watch. Haaland calmly finds the back of the net and then slams the ball in with intense frustration. This goal makes him the fastest player ever to reach 50 goal contributions in Champions League history.

Manchester City's Penalty Explained

Was the decision made for the handball, or was it a result of Haaland being fouled during his turn? It appears to be the latter.

40 minutes: Haaland finds some open space, but Hancko makes a fantastic block to stop him.

38 minutes in: Steve Waterhouse reaches out: "Radu Petrescu; the Spurs remix we never realized we were missing. But it turns out we really did."

Matt Stephens reaches out to share his thoughts: “I saw Pep’s re-signing interview earlier today. In his last one from two years ago, he was all smiles, saying how much he loves it here. However, in this latest video, he came across as feeling like he had to stay, rather than wanting to. His body language showed a lot of uncertainty, with shaking heads and serious expressions. Maybe I’m being overly optimistic, but I have a feeling that the rest of the year might not go well for City. There's a chance Pep could reconsider and leave next summer.”

That's a bold statement, let's wait and see. I appreciate your approach!

37 minutes: Oof. Hwang fires off a shot that Nunes has to block. Then City, once again ignited by Ederson, who has become their main playmaker lately, launches a counterattack. Foden's attempt leads to a corner, and Haaland gets involved in some more pushing and shoving. Ake manages to reach the ball but heads it off target.

35 minutes in: The Etihad Campus is buzzing with frustration. City launches an offensive, with Foden weaving through the defense, but his pass to Haaland gets intercepted. The crowd is finally rallying behind the team; they really need a spark to boost their spirits.

33 min: Richard Hirst reaches out: “Timber is representing Arsenal and Timber is with Feyenoord. If only Forest were playing today.”

We need Chopper Harris to investigate the situation.

32 minutes: There isn't a lot happening at the moment. City seem to be struggling, don't they? They definitely have the capability to win this, but the excitement seems to have faded. Meanwhile, Igor Paixao, the forward from Feyenoord, gets a chance but his shot doesn't pose any challenge for Ederson.

After 29 minutes: John de Wolf is seated on the bench for Feyenoord. He previously played for Wolves and was part of that unforgettable FA Cup match that took place 30 years ago.

27 minutes in: City isn't quite finding their rhythm. It seems like they’re not playing their best football right now. On the sidelines, Guardiola and Juanma Lillo are engaged in quiet conversation. Juanma bears a slight resemblance to Kevin Keegan.

25 minutes in: The Feyenoord supporters are mocking the home crowd. In reaction, the home fans manage to raise their voices. The words exchanged aren’t suitable for repeating here.

At the 23-minute mark, Feyenoord launches a serious offensive, and as the ball zooms past Ederson, a swift counterattack follows. Wellenreuther pulls off an excellent save against Foden, resulting in a corner kick for City. Haaland gets tangled up in various holds, which postpones the corner that is ultimately cleared away.

At the 21-minute mark, the City fans start singing along to Oasis's "She's Electric." Quinten Timber, who is the twin brother of Arsenal's Timber, is actively involved in the game.

At the 19-minute mark, Feyenoord tries to apply pressure but ends up creating an opportunity for Manchester City. However, that move doesn’t work out either, as Foden is closed down. It looks like the Dutch side is becoming more self-assured.

17 minutes in: Haaland shows his frustration while sprinting after a pass and pressuring the defender, but the play is stopped for offside. Pep, wearing a puffer jacket, appears equally distressed.

In the 15th minute, Jack Grealish tries an unusual tap-corner, but instead of creating a chance for his team, he inadvertently sets up an attack for Feyenoord. Fortunately, Gvardiol is there to clear the danger.

At the 14-minute mark, Wellenreuther comes off his line to intercept Nunes. City is pressing and exploring options. Feyenoord is definitely on the defensive and feeling the pressure. A handball claim arises when the ball goes to Nunes, but the referee does not respond.

After 13 minutes, Grealish seizes an opportunity. Wellenreuther chose to come out of his goal, allowing the ball to be intercepted and passed forward. Grealish takes the shot, but it deflects off Foden. There's a lot of enthusiasm and ball control, and they’re putting in the effort, but the breakthrough hasn’t happened yet.

At the 11-minute mark, it looks like Foden is playing on the left side instead of where you would typically see Grealish. He sends a pass to Haaland, but the striker can only manage a light touch on the ball.

10 minutes in: Haaland had his first opportunity with a header that he directed downwards, but Wellenreuther made an excellent save. Earlier, Foden's cross had gone past a somewhat motionless Haaland.

8 minutes in: Jack Grealish is making an effort to get in the game, but he’s been mostly on the sidelines up until now—just like he has been for much of the season. Meanwhile, City is keeping the possession of the ball, holding onto it persistently.

7 min: Are City missing out due to an absence of tactical fouls? Perhaps the stats could shed some light on this. It's possible that the older players are having difficulty keeping pace with quicker rivals. Additionally, the passing has seemed a bit slow this evening.

In the sixth minute, Gundogan is positioned centrally, taking on the role typically held by Rodri. Nunes is making an effort to navigate through the defense as the team's primary ball handler tonight. Feyenoord is playing defensively, looking to launch a counterattack with Carranza, who is held back by a tactical foul.

4 min: As anticipated, City is showcasing their typical style of play, with plenty of passing and controlling the ball. However, they have maintained this pattern during phases of the matches they’ve lost. Rico Lewis takes a hit from two defenders at the same time, but he’s all right.

In just three minutes, Bernardo Silva, the captain, showcases his skills with some impressive moves. Haaland is eager for the ball, but Gundogan is the one who receives it. Unfortunately, his attempt is thwarted. When it comes to the corner kick, Foden isn't able to make much of an impact.

Off We Go: Exploring Manchester!

Feyenoord quickly got underway, prompting cheers from City supporters as Manuel Akanji steps in to avert a threat. The Feyenoord fans are making quite a noise. In my view, De Kuip is among the finest venues for watching football, and they’ve brought some of that vibrant atmosphere to Manchester.

The players greet each other with a handshake, and it won't be long before the game begins. We hear that the Etihad Stadium isn't filled to full capacity.

At the Etihad, they're hosting another light display, but it's different from the one that featured Rodri.

Just so you know, Niall McVeigh is sharing updates on the other games from his seat.

Here's some news that might interest the City fans: Remember Julian Alvarez? He found the back of the net twice for Atletico in their match against Sparta Prague. Guess who they brought in to take his place? Savinho!

Krishna reaches out: “Hey John (or could it be Scott using a different name?)”

"First, we fall to Spurs. Next, we face off against Arne's replacement and take another loss. Finally, we end up losing to Arne himself. Pep definitely isn’t a fan of this kind of predictable pattern. I foresee a close victory today, followed by a draw this weekend."

Absolutely, it's John. Taking the place of the esteemed individual.

Headlines: De Bruyne remains sidelined, along with Gimenez. Walker has been benched, and so has Savinho.

In: Nathan Ake, Matheus Nunes, and Jack Grealish. Out: Walker, Savinho, and John Stones, who has been excluded from the squad entirely.

The Teams Have Arrived

Manchester City’s lineup includes Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Ake, Gvardiol, Silva, Gundogan, Matheus Luiz, Foden, Haaland, and Grealish. On the bench are Ortega, Carson, Walker, Dias, De Bruyne, Savio, Wright, Simpson-Pusey, O’Reilly, McAtee, and Wilson-Esbrand.

Feyenoord's lineup includes Wellenreuther, Nieuwkoop, Trauner, Hancko, Smal, Hwang, Milambo, Timber, Hadj Moussa, Carranza, and Igor Paixao. The substitutes are Bijlow, Ka, Beelen, Zerrouki, Gonzalez, Ivanusec, Mitchell, Zechel, Gimenez, Lotomba, and Redmond.

Official: Radu Petrescu from Romania

As always, Jonathan Wilson has been reflecting thoughtfully on this surprising issue.

However, there’s a notable change. As per Opta, Manchester City has had one of the easiest sets of matches this Premier League season. Yet, if they suffer a defeat at Anfield next week (considering Liverpool is one of the teams Guardiola has lost to the most), they would find themselves 11 points adrift of the leaders. The sense of invincibility has faded; rivals are starting to sense an opportunity. This situation resembles that of Chelsea in the 2015-16 season, Manchester United during David Moyes' tenure, or Liverpool in the early 1990s. Opposing teams no longer approach matches against them just trying to avoid humiliation; now, they believe they have a real shot at achieving an impressive result.

Cities aren't ancient, right? At least, that's not how Pep sees it.

Unavailable for City: Oscar Bobb, Ruben Dias, Mateo Kovacic, and of course, Rodri.

The fact that the others appear exhausted is another significant issue.

Feyenoord will feel the absence of Santiago Gimenez significantly, as he is uncertain to play due to a thigh injury.

Brian Priske, who took over as coach of Feyenoord from Arne Slot, commented on City: “I still consider them one of the top teams globally, a truly elite side. We've watched many of their matches, and for instance, in their recent game against Spurs, they were quite unfortunate. We understand that we need to perform flawlessly, particularly on the defensive end, in order to achieve a good result.”

More Energy: "In this case, we need to stick more firmly to our principles. There's no need to alter things too much, and actually, we should be doing even less. Eventually, we’ll secure a victory, and our minds will be focused. I hope that happens against Feyenoord, but if not, then on Sunday against Liverpool. The motivation to turn things around is strong, and we're determined to make it happen."

Does this indicate that they are moving directly forward?

Kevin De Bruyne shared his thoughts: "Things have been somewhat chaotic. I've noticed a lot of people going in and out of the medical area. It's been a mix of players with injuries, some shouldn’t be on the field but are. These matches have felt quite disorganized. Everyone is feeling a bit low, but we need to push forward."

Here are some notable quotes from Pep's press conference: "I truly believe that we will achieve great things this season. I’m not willing to quit, and I sense we'll be among the top contenders. We will acknowledge the team that wins our title because they’ve earned it, not simply because we let it go. It’s quite challenging to maintain a legacy, tradition, and success."

Could it really be six losses in a row? Tonight has to be the night when things turn around for Manchester City. Feyenoord may be sitting in fourth place in the Eredivisie and ranked 21st in the Champions League standings, but could they actually pull off a victory? Even though the match is at the Etihad, it still represents uncharted ground for Pep Guardiola. Will he instruct his team to play it safe and focus on the fundamentals? That's not typically his style, but it might be a sensible approach in times like these. Yet, it's important to remember that both Pep and City are anything but ordinary.

Come along and join me at 8 PM GMT for the start!