GUNDOGAN LEADS THE CITY RAMPAGE
Gundogan double helps City put one foot in quarter-finals
MANCHESTER CITY put one foot into the Champions League quarter-finals with a resounding first-leg victory in Basle. Ilkay Gundogan (right) scored twice, either side of goals from Bernardo Silva and Sergio Aguero, as Pep Guardiola’s team crushed the Swiss champions. City captain Vincent Kompany said: ‘The pitch was difficult and it was freezing out there. For a Champions League game we did ever so well.’ But he refused to agree that the tie is over, saying: ‘In these kind of games it’s about more than that. We’ve shown that we were the better team today.’ It was City’s 34th victory this season, more than in the whole of the last campaign.
WELL that’ s pretty much that. Unless Basle have something quite extraordinary up their sleeves, they might as well not bother turning up for the second leg at the Etihad in three weeks’ time.
The last 16 of the Champions League is meant to be when the serious business gets under way, but those who witnessed yet another Manchester City masterclass at St Jakob Park last night wouldn’t have known it.
The Premier League leaders became the first English side to score three goals in the first half of a Champions League tie, and they managed it inside 24 minutes.
Never mind a second leg, City didn’t even need a second half to effectively clinch their place in the quarter-finals.
Maybe we were expecting too much from a Basle team who had beaten Manchester United in a group game here in November.
They are, after all, the weakest club left in the last 16 and are not even top of the Swiss league after the winter break.
But credit to City. They were dominant on a freezing night in Switzerland when for once you could understand footballers wearing gloves, showing again why they should be considered among the favourites for the Champions League this season.
They will have to produce a monumental effort to win all four trophies in their sights, but this was a very straightforward step on the path to greatness.
‘ It’s an amazing result,’ said Guardiola. ‘I’m not saying it’s done because anything can happen in football and we have respect for Basle.
‘We are almost in the quarterfinals but we will take the next game seriously.’
The City boss acknowledged that this result will allow him to play a full- strength team in the key Premier League games against Arsenal and Chelsea, then rest players for the second leg.
His squad is looking ominously strong again after Fabian Delph, Leroy Sane and David Silva returned from injury here.
Vincent Kompany got another 90 minutes under his belt in what was his first appearance in the Champions League for almost two years.
‘We’ll have almost the whole squad for that period when we will need everyone involved,’ said Guardiola.
‘We are still in February and in the Premier League we are in an amazing position with 16 points in front.
‘We are almost in the quarterfinals of Champions League, in one final (Carabao Cup) and have an opportunity to get to the quarterfinal of the FA Cup. All we can do is take it seriously.’
Had Basle been as clinical as their opponents it may have been a different story — not least when Dimitri Oberlin failed to get enough on his attempt to score past Ederson when one- on- one with the City goalkeeper in the early stages.
Where Oberlin’s finishing lacked conviction, City were utterly ruthless as they struck three times in the space of 10 minutes.
Goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik did not cover himself in glory despite starting the game with a fine fingertip save to deny Ilkay Gundogan with less than two minutes on the clock.
When the German was presented with another opportunity from Kevin de Bruyne’s corner to the near post, he stole a yard on Fabian Frei to glance a header past Vaclik for 1-0.
City’s second goal wasn’t long in coming. De Bruyne set Raheem Sterling away down the left and his cross took a slight nick off a Basle defender on its way through to Bernardo Silva on the far side.
The Portugal international controlled it on his chest and delivered a dipping volley that Vaclik tried to turn over the bar with one hand but merely helped on its way into the net.
Sergio Aguero then struck in the 23rd minute to all but end this tie as a contest.
It began with a surging run by Fernandinho, who was stopped in his tracks by Leo Lacroix 20 yards from goal.
Nobody had bothered to pick up Aguero, of all people, and the man who scored four goals against Leicester at the weekend had another in his sights. He guided the ball effortlessly inside the post.
The Argentine had a hand in Gundogan’s second goal of the night in the 54th minute, as he scrambled the ball to his team-mate on the edge of the box. Gundogan looked up and almost nonchalantly curled a shot into the far corner.
‘He’s an extraordinary player,’ said Guardiola. ‘When I see him play, I realise how we missed him last season. He doesn’t feel pressure.’
Only a fine save from Vaclik denied Gundogan his hat-trick, although the damage was done.
Given his injury problems, the former Borussia Dortmund player was understandably infuriated by a foul from Geoffroy Serey Die that sparked a late melee and brought yellow cards for both players.
It was a rare show of resistance from Basle, whose visit to Manchester next month is now little more than a formality. BASLE (3-4-2-1): Vaclik 4.5; Xhaka 5.5, Lacroix 6.5, Suchy 6; Lang 5, Frei 5, Serey Die 6, Riveros 5.5; Stocker 6 (Ajeti 71min, 5.5), Elyounoussi 5.5; Oberlin 5.5 (Bua 85).
Subs not used: Zuffi, Van Wolfswinkel, Salvi, Manzambi, Petretta. Booked: Xhaka, Serey Die.
Manager: Raphael Wicky 5. MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 6.5; Walker 7, Kompany 7, Otamendi 6.5, Delph 7; De Bruyne 7 (D Silva 62, 6.5), Fernandinho 7,
GUNDOGAN 8; B Silva 7.5, Aguero 7 (Danilo 86), Sterling 6.5 (Sane 57, 6.5).
Subs not used: Bravo, Stones, Laporte, Foden. Booked: Fernandinho, Gundogan. Scorers: Gundogan 14, 53, B Silva 18, Aguero 23 Manager: Pep Guardiola 8. Referee: Jonas Eriksson 7. Attendance: 36,000.