Manchester City captain Kevin de Bruyne scored the game-winner to help them produce one of the narrow football results of the weekend in the UEFA Champions League. Atletico Madrid employed their usual pragmatic approach and succeeded for the majority of the game. Phil Foden came off the bench and had an instant impact as he assisted De Bruyne just 80 seconds before coming on in the 70th minute.
Player ratings
Man City: Ederson (6), Cancelo (7), Stones (7), Laporte (7), Ake (7), Rodri (6), Gundogan (7), De Bruyne (8), Mahrez (6), Bernardo Silva (7), Sterling (6).
Subs: Jesus (6), Grealish (7), Foden (9).
Atletico: Oblak (6), Vrsalkjo (7), Savic (7), Felipe, Reinildo (7), Renan Lodi (8), Llorente (7), Koke (7), Kondogbia (7), Griezmann (6), Felix (6).
Subs: De Paul (6), Correa (6), Cunha (6), Lemar (n/a).
Man of the match: Phil Foden.
Managers Reaction
Man City boss Pep Guardiola: “It was a difficult game against a tough opponent. It was difficult to find spaces, but we were patient enough. It was a good result. We had one or two more chances at the end to score more goals. Even at 1-0, going to Madrid is always tough but it was a good result. We won the game, we won at Burnley, now we prepare for the next one. Reflecting on De Bruyne’s composed finish, manager Guardiola said: “He is in the best moment of the season right now. He is sharp, quick, and positive. His influence on our game is massive. He scored an exceptional goal from the combination with Phil.”
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone: “A good performance against an extraordinary team that manages to unite lots of world-class footballers into a superb unit. We wanted to defend well, squeeze spaces, and hit them on the counterattack. Just when we looked like creating our best opportunities, they scored. That was a very difficult match. They took off three excellent players and replace them with three equally-excellent guys.”
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