CITY’S CONTROL IS SET IN STONE
Pep’s stars out in four-ce
MANCHESTER CITY made a dream start to their Champions League campaign with a thumping win in Rotterdam last night.
Pep Guardiola’s men took less than two minutes to go ahead through John Stones.
And the night got even better as Sergio Aguero, Gabriel Jesus and Stones again all pounced to make it 4-0 just after the hour.
This was City’s seventh straight crack at the Champions League.
Once again the billionaires appeared to go into it with more hope than expectation after Guardiola admitted his side were still no closer to winning the trophy his bosses covet most of all.
But the pressure is on Guardiola to deliver, with City making it past the last 16 stage just once in their history.
This is an appalling record, considering the mind-boggling sums of money owner Sheikh Mansour has lavished on players.
Guardiola reverted to a back-four and included Ederson in his starting lineup. The Brazilian goalkeeper wore a protective scrum cap after having stitches in a deep facial wound following his clash with Sadio Mane last weekend.
This was Feyenoord’s first Champions League game in 15 years and rapidly turned into one to forget. The Dutch champions, who beat Man United here in the Europa League last season, went into this clash high on confidence.
Giovanni van Bronkhorst’s men had started the new season with four straight wins and had the backing of a loud home crowd behind them in the uncompromising De Kuip Stadium.
Hapless
But the place went silent after just 100 seconds when City took a quickfire lead.
David Silva was allowed time and space to cross from the left and Stones rose high to power a header through the legs of the hapless Tonny Vilhena on the line.
City almost doubled their lead on seven minutes only for Eric Botteghin to head Jesus’ effort off the line. But this was men against boys and a second goal did come on 10 minutes.
Kyle Walker swept in a cross from the right and Aguero produced a sublime finish to leave the home side stunned.
The hosts could have got a lifeline on 21 minutes through Michiel Kramer but Stones deflected his shot into the sidenetting.
And that was it for Feyenoord as back came City to score a third on 25 minutes as the carnage continued.
Ex-Liverpool keeper Brad Jones parried Benjamin Mendy’s shot, but the Feyenoord defence froze thinking Jesus was offside. However it was Nicolas Otamendi who was beyond the last defender though not affecting play, and Jesus fired into an open goal.
It was now just a case of how many more Guardiola’s men would rack up and Stones headed home again on 63 minutes with his second of the night.
Jones; St.Juste, Botteghin, Van der Heijden, Nelom; Amrabat, El Ahmadi, Vilhena, Boetius, Kramer; Berghuis. Subs: Bijlow, Larsson, Diks, Tapia, Toornstra, Vente, Geertruida.
Ederson; Walker, Stones, Otamendi, Mendy; Fernandinho, De Bruyne, D Silva; B Silva, Aguero, Jesus. Subs: Bravo, Danilo, Sterling, Gundogan, Mangala, Delph, Sane.
Szymon Marciniak (Poland).