SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 18 hrs 24 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
MC
Champions League | Group Stage
Dec 12, 2018 at 8pm UK
 
HL

2-1

Sane (45', 61')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Kramaric (16' pen.)

City have their verve back, says Sane

:Headline: City have their verve back, says Sane: ID:344092: from db_amp
Leroy Sane scored both goals as Manchester City come from behind to beat Hoffenheim.

Leroy Sane felt Manchester City rediscovered their verve as they overcame a slow start against Hoffenheim to claim top spot in their Champions League group.

City were knocked off the top of the Premier League as they suffered their first domestic defeat of the season at Chelsea last weekend and the hangover initially seemed to carry over into Wednesday’s outing.

The German side created some good early chances at the Etihad Stadium and took an early lead with a penalty from former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric.

Sane equalised for City with a superb free-kick (Martin Rickett/PA)

That sparked City into life and they responded by hitting the woodwork twice through Gabriel Jesus and Nicolas Otamendi before two goals from Sane secured first place in Group F. City created numerous other chances and should have won more convincingly than 2-1.

“At the beginning maybe we were a little bit sleepy but at the end we did it really good,” said Sane. “We woke up and played really good football. I am happy, especially with the way we played altogether.”

All of City’s best chances in the first half came from set-pieces with Sane equalising from a stunning free-kick on the stroke of half-time. Due to a spate of injuries, City had no obvious specialists from the 25-yard distance on the field when the 22-year-old stepped up.

“I think in my professional career I have never scored a free-kick,” said Sane. “I thought this was the moment and I just tried it.”

Sane paid tribute to team-mate Raheem Sterling for his involvement in his second, which came from a quick counter-attack.

He said: “I thought Raheem was running in space and I wanted to give him the ball so he could go one-on-one.

“But he’s got good vision, a good eye, and he saw the run coming and passed again to me. I just had to tap in the ball. It was a really good goal.”

Sane, however, could have had a hat-trick had he not passed up a shooting chance on another lightning break from deep. Again Sterling played in Sane but he opted to pass inside to Bernardo Silva, who was denied by goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.

Sane said: “I just regret we didn’t score the goal. It was three against just the goalkeeper.

“I thought I would pass to Bernardo and he would just have to tap the ball in but my eye wasn’t as good as Raheem’s.

“I think it would have been better if I’d just shot the ball in but at the end we are all happy we won.”

amp_article__344092 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2018-12-13 10:27:39:
html db last update - 2021-03-06 05:28:20 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Leroy Sane

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .