Manchester City sealed a vital 2-0 victory over Galatasaray in their UEFA Champions League league phase finale at the Etihad Stadium. The win, shared by the club’s official X account, proved decisive, lifting Pep Guardiola’s side into the top eight of the standings and securing automatic qualification for the Round of 16.
City had gone into the game knowing there was no margin for error, a scenario SoftFootball had already highlighted in its build-up to the encounter. After recent domestic and European frustrations, the performance also served as a timely response.
City controlled proceedings from the opening exchanges and showed a level of composure that had been questioned in recent weeks. That calm approach mirrored their earlier bounce-back displays this month, which SoftFootball noted as crucial in restoring belief within the squad.
Erling Haaland was at the heart of it all. After missing a glorious headed chance in the third minute, the Norwegian made no mistake seven minutes later. Jeremy Doku slipped a perfectly weighted through ball into his path, and Haaland calmly dinked the ball over Ugurcan Cakir to open the scoring.
The goal ended a brief drought and carried extra significance, marking Haaland’s 50th Champions League goal in just 49 appearances, a new competition record. His celebration, which included a subtle Leeds salute, added a personal touch to the moment.
Doku continued to torment the Galatasaray defence, this time turning provider again for City’s second. Operating in a central role, he teed up Rayan Cherki, who fired confidently into the bottom corner to make it 2-0.
It was Cherki’s eighth goal of the season and another sign of his growing influence. Although Doku was forced off with a knock later in the half, City had already done the damage.
Pep Guardiola’s side dominated the first half, completing 510 passes at an 88 per cent accuracy and registering 10 shots. Galatasaray, captained by former City man Ilkay Gundogan, struggled to gain a foothold and were limited to four efforts, all comfortably dealt with by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
By full time, City’s objective was clear and achieved, avoiding the play-offs and moving on with confidence restored.
