Gundogan has Pep walking on easy street

HEAVEN SCENT: Giroud says Hazard ‘smells game’ MANCHESTER CITY turned up the heat on a freezing night to underline skipper Vincent Kompany’s confident claim that this is their year for Champions League glory.

But Pep Guardiola’s team will be the first to acknowledge they will have to overcome far stiffer challenges than the Swiss side.

A devastating spell of three goals in nine first-half minutes sealed their place in the quarter-finals and rendered academic the second leg at the Etihad in three weeks’ time.

Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero netted first-half goals as City put the weakest team left in the competition to the sword.

They eased off the pedal after the break but Gundogan added his second and was denied his hat-trick by Tomas Vaclik’s save as Guardiola celebrated his 100th game as a coach in the competition in style.

Basle can boast a proud record against English clubs at home but this was a mismatch.

Guardiola seems to have got the measure of the Swiss champions. Barcelona won 5-0 here in his first season in charge at the Nou Camp and they went on to win the trophy. He will be hoping that is an omen.

Had City been bothered they could quite easily have matched Bayern Munich’s record 7-0 scoreline for a game in the knockout stages.

Basle did not help themselves with some woeful defending. They may have been fresh, having had just two games IN BASLE net and Nicolas Otamendi got back to clear the danger.

Otamendi was also relieved when referee Jonas Eriksson dismissed Oberlin’s claims for a penalty after he had been bundled over by the defender.

But City quickly recovered and effectively wrapped up the game – not to mention a place in the last eight – with those three quick goals.

Gundogan headed the first in the 14th minute, muscling in front of Fabian Frei to guide home Kevin De Bruyne’s corner at the near post.

The second came from the Portuguese Silva, who is growing in stature and confidence by the game and showing the quality of his more famous Spanish namesake in the squad.

Raheem Sterling ran down the left and when his cross glanced off Leo Lacroix’s head it fell to Silva who had time to chest it down before sending a dipping volley over Vaclik, who attempted to tip the shot over the bar but only succeeded in helping it into the net.

The third came from Aguero. Fernandinho’s surge past three players was ended by Lacroix’s tackle but the ball broke to Aguero, who had time and space to take a touch before rifling a long shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Basle had shown precious little threat but Ederson had to make a flying save to prevent Mohamed Elyounoussi’s piledriver from pulling one back for the Swiss at the start of the second half.

City responded by scoring a fourth after 53 minutes, Gundogan curling home his second from the edge of the area after receiving a pass from Aguero and stepping inside Frei to make room for the shot.

It was so comfortable that Guardiola was able to give two of his regulars, Sterling and De Bruyne, a breather.

Mind you, their replacements were not too shabby – Leroy Sane and David Silva, who both needed run-outs after injury lay-offs.

Gundogan reacted angrily to a late challenge from Geoffrey Serey Die and the pair had to be restrained by team-mates from confronting each other in an ugly flare-up.

But it was about the time Basle ruffled City.

FC BASLE (3-4-3): Booked: MAN CITY (4-3-3):

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