Soccer

Manchester City’s struggles continue as they blow three-goal lead to Feyenoord

A late horror show ceded the advantage to the Dutch team as their winless run continues

Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol reacts after they concede a third goal. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol reacts after they concede a third goal. Photograph: Martin Rickett/PA
Jamie Jackson
Tue Nov 26 2024 - 22:28

Champions League: Manchester City 3 Feyenoord 3 (Haaland 44, 53, Gundogan 50; Hadj-Moussa 75, Giménez 82, Hancko 89)

Manchester City’s losing sequence is over – just. But they are still a listing ship that can go down at any moment. Three-nil up after 75 minutes, a late horror show ceded the advantage as Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Giménez and David Hancko drew ­Feyenoord level to earn a well-fought point.

After five consecutive losses, a canter of a win was on the cards that would have made life for Pep ­Guardiola and his players feel far brighter ahead of the champions next challenge: Sunday’s trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool. But after City’s shaky finish here, they will hardly relish the trip to Arne Slot’s leaders.

Feyenoord, who arrived as the Eredivisie’s fourth-placed side, had appeared beaten by two Erling Haaland strikes and one from Ilkay Gündogan. All came after the interval as Guardiola discarded the narrow 4-3-3 that proved toothless against Ange Postecoglu’s Tottenham for a 4-2-3-1 that, in the opening 45 minutes, still allowed gaps and was profligate.

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The bigger picture, though, is that Rodri remains badly missed – for his steady head and cool control. Hadj Moussa and Giménez’s 75th- and 82nd-minute strikes each came due to Josko Gvardiol losing his calm and unloading sloppy passes, while ­Ederson was at fault for rushing out for the visitors’ equaliser.

To face Feyenoord, whose six points came in wins over Benfica and Girona, Guardiola dropped Kyle Walker and Savinho from Saturday’s 4-0 humbling by Spurs. In came Matheus Nunes and Jack ­Grealish, with Nathan Aké retained after replacing the injured John Stones at half‑time.

It was no surprise to see Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, as serial winners, joking beforehand and each were involved in a fluid move in which the latter crossed, the ball was turned back by Manuel Akanji, the Norwegian made a header but saw Timon Wellenreuther save with a frantic dive low to the right.

Wellenreuther was at fault next, though. A misdirected pass out from the goalkeeper was mopped up by City and suddenly Grealish’s volley rocketed goalwards, though Foden’s back deflected it away. But now we saw the clumsiness that has troubled Guardiola’s side as a sluggish Ilkay Gündogan was robbed, City turned, and Josko ­Gvardiol’s muscle was required to stymie ­Feyenoord along the right.

This fed into a show of Guardiola exasperation. So, too, did Aké's upending of Julián Carranza, and an Igor Paixão burst inside from his left wing to switch: the number 14 continued his run and eventually the ball came to him but a flying effort went high.

Cutting edge is another element City have lacked and while Foden’s pivot-and-shot made Wellenreuther save it was an emblem of this. Another issue has been the gaps in midfield and the way Feyenoord advanced down the left was one of the many examples, causing the ever-more frustrated Guardiola to direct his ire at Bernardo Silva for not patrolling his flank.

City’s famed press malfunctioned, too. Brian Priske’s men stroked possession about in the manner their hosts wanted to. Feyenoord kept slipping through them – as when the ball went tap-tap-tap-tap forward, and Paixão hit the ball straight into Ederson’s hands.

Defending, City looked a goal waiting to happen. Attack was far easier: a swashbuckling Foden surge that ­culminated in a blocked attempt took his team to the end they wished to operate in. After a Hwang In-beom rocket was repelled, City moved upfield again. But the same lack of precision meant Haaland hit a leg instead of the back of Wellenreuther’s net.

But then a break. Quinten Timber the culprit for catching Haaland and Radu Petrescu pointed to the spot. Feyenoord’s captain lost the argument with the referee and, after a delay, Haaland rammed the penalty into the bottom right corner. The relief among City enthusiasts was tangible.

Could City grow from here and swagger through the second half ahead of the weekend test? The answer was yes. Gvardiol zipped the ball to Haaland at the fast pace required and the No 9 glimpsed goal but turned into traffic. Nunes, more direct, shot; a corner was claimed, and City were about to score a second for the first time since blasting Sparta Prague 5-0 here on October 23rd.

The ball was flighted in from the right quadrant, it popped out to Gündogan, and his left-booted volley pinged into the net off David Hancko, wrong-footing Wellenreuther, and those wearing blue breathed calmer.

City moved into relaxed mode seconds later via the kind of back-to-front foray that had seemed extinct recently. Akanji fed Gündogan whose pirouette presaged a pass to the marauding Nunes down the right. He skated forward and skimmed over a ball that had Haaland, ever the arch predator, sliding home for 3-0.

Guardiola, as he likes to, pointed his celebration towards the posh seats in the gods behind him, and his players cruised. Grealish, Gvardiol and Foden all went close. City approached their usual imperiousness so when Akanji sprayed the ball straight to Hancko he was relieved the Feyenoord defender steered wide.

No such relief for Gvardiol whose repeat of his haplessness against Spurs allied set up Feyenoord’s comeback and City’s crumble. – Guardian