City face stiff competition, but manage to win against Schalke
Manchester City defeated Schalke in the first leg of their round of 16 match of the 2018/19 Champions League. Things were looking difficult for City but they eventually managed to win the tie. Even though City won it 3-2, manager Pep Guardiola commented that City are "still not ready to fight for the latter stages" in the UCL. Here is our detailed match report.
City were leading, but Schalke suddenly took charge
Manchester City managed to take the lead in the match when Sergio Aguero scored for them in the 18th minute. However, City were not able to hold on to the lead for long, as Schalke were awarded two back to back penalties in the 38th and 45th minute. Ex-Tottenham Hotspur mid-fielder, Nabil Bentaleb, netted in both penalties to give Schalke the lead at half-time.
Sane and Sterling led City to victory
Leroy Sane, the former Schalke player proved to be their bane when he curled in a free-kick from 30 yards which ended in the back of the net and leveled affairs. It was in the 90th minute when Raheem Sterling delivered the final nail in the coffin as he latched on to the Schalke goalkeeper's goal-kick and netted in City's third goal.
Some interesting stats from the match
In their last eight Champions League matches against German opposition, City have remained unbeaten with seven wins and one draw. Before the match, Schalke were unbeaten in nine consecutive home matches in European competitions. In his last seven appearances, Sergio Aguero has now scored ten goals in all competitions. Bentaleb has been successful in netting in all of his 14 penalties for Schalke.
Comments from Guardiola and on the second leg
City manager Pep Guardiola did not seem very satisfied with the result, saying that, "We gave them two penalties, we gave them a red card, and in this competition that is not too good." However, he admired the character City players showed, and said the fight is not over. The next leg of this encounter is scheduled to take place on March 13.
