Guardiola welcomes Gabriel’s return
manchester — Pep Guardiola welcomed the option of having a striker fit for Sunday’s blockbuster Premier League clash with Liverpool after Gabriel Jesus marked his return from injury with a goal to seal a 3-0 Champions League win over Olympiakos.
City are cruising towards the last 16 of the competition after gaining maximum points from three games in Group C thanks in large part to Ferran Torres’ freescoring form.
The Spaniard became the third youngest player to ever score in four straight Champions League games when he opened the scoring on 12 minutes.
However, the English side have lacked a ruthless streak in the recent weeks in the Premier League without a natural striker as both Jesus and Sergio Aguero have had an injury-hit start to the season.
Jesus was introduced for the final quarter to boost his match fitness and took just 11 minutes to thrash the ball high past Jose Sa to double City’s advantage.
“We played an exceptional firsthalf, but unfortunately we cannot finish the games, we struggle a bit for the second goal,” said Guardiola.
“Finally, an incredible goal from Gabriel (finished the game). In general, it is good news that he is back.”
Guardiola’s wish for a hassle free passage through the group given the gruelling schedule his side face in the coming months looks set to be granted with a point in Greece in three weeks’ time enough to book their place in the knockout stage with two games to spare.. —