SM
Watford vs. Oxford Utd: 5 hrs 10 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
O
Champions League | Group Stage
Nov 25, 2020 at 5.55pm UK
Stadio Georgios Karaiskáki
MC

Olympiacos
0 - 1
Man City


Rafinha (39')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Foden (36')
Sterling (39'), Dias (54'), Gundogan (86')

Phil Foden scores to send Manchester City into Champions League round of 16

:Headline: Result: Phil Foden scores to send Manchester City into Champions League round of 16: ID:423769: from db_amp
The England midfielder scored the only goal as City beat Olympiacos in Greece.

Phil Foden scored the only goal as Manchester City secured their place in the Champions League knockout stages yet again with a 1-0 victory over Olympiacos in Greece.

The 20-year-old turned home from a Raheem Sterling flick in the 36th minute as City maintained their 100 per cent record in Group C and reached the last 16 with two matches to spare.

The Greek champions were stubborn opponents at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus but City, who created a number of clear-cut opportunities, were never in danger of slipping up.

Manager Pep Guardiola may be frustrated that more chances were not taken but, after a difficult start in the Premier League, progress in Europe with minimal fuss is a major objective achieved.

It is the eighth successive year City have reached the knockout phase and, having voiced concerns about the intensity of this season's schedule, Guardiola will be pleased to have done so while resting Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker.

Aymeric Laporte, Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez also dropped to the bench as the City boss made five changes. With Foden and Sterling among those to come in, the team was hardly weakened.

They also had firepower in reserve with Sergio Aguero, fit again after a hamstring injury, among the substitutes and the Argentinian was given a late run-out as he stepped up his recovery.

City ended with just the one goal to show for their efforts but they were too good for an Olympiacos side without a number of key players themselves.

Phil Foden, left, runs to celebrate after scoring the only goal in Greece (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

Former France midfielder Mathieu Valbuena and forward Youssef El-Arabi, who proved a handful when the sides met at the Etihad Stadium earlier this month, were among their absentees.

City started confidently and Foden tested Jose Sa in the early stages and Gabriel Jesus also headed at the Olympiacos goalkeeper.

Yet the Greeks were well organised and resilient and City needed to work hard to create further chances.

Jesus was denied again by Sa but it took a well-worked move for City to break through after 36 minutes.

Ilkay Gundogan opened up the defence and Jesus played Sterling into the area. The England forward then showed great awareness as he picked out Foden in front of goal with a clever back-heel.

Foden, in fine goalscoring form after striking twice for England against Iceland last week, made no mistake with a powerful low drive.

Sterling threatened again before the break but Sa parried a long-range drive and then palmed over a free-kick.

Foden then pounced on a defensive lapse early in the second half but Ruben Semedo blocked his shot and Gundogan put the rebound wide. Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva also had efforts kept out by Sa before Foden headed wide.

Aguero came on in the latter stages and City eased to the final whistle.

amp_article__423769 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-11-25 20:10:41:
html db last update - 2020-11-25 20:10:41 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
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.



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