MAN CITY SQUANDERS LEAD TO LEIPZIG IN SECOND HALF
Josko Gvardiol stifled the threat of Manchester City star Erling Haaland before scoring himself to earn Leipzig a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their round-of-16 matchup in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Croatia center back, nicknamed “Little Pep” because of the similarities of his last name with that of City manager Pep Guardiola, headed home the equalizer in the 70th minute after Leipzig finally got to grips with the English champions. Visiting City dominated the first half without Haaland, its top scorer, getting a sight on goal and Riyad Mahrez netted the 27thminute opener after Ilkay Gundogan flicked through a pass from Jack Grealish.
As Haaland grew frustrated in the second half, City lost control of the game and Leipzig posed more of a threat, creating the better of the chances.
“What do you expect, that we are playing a friendly game here?” Guardiola said, when asked why his team was unable to retain its domination into the second half. “How many games have you seen from Leipzig? You expect us to come here and win 0-5? That is not a reality.”
It leaves the match in the balance heading into the second leg in Manchester on March 14 as City continues its bid for a first Champions League title.
Guardiola conducted a mini-debrief with his players on the field after the final whistle, telling them to stay positive after seeing them throw away their advantage after a first-half performance that could have led to more than just Mahrez’s 20th Champions League goal.
Haaland had only seven touches before halftime — none of them coming in Leipzig’s penalty area — and he had only one opportunity in the whole match, when he got free down the right midway through the second half and snatched at a shot that dribbled wide.
Leipzig’s extra intensity and aggression paid off as the German team, a Champions League semifinalist in 2020, finally showed why it had lost just one of its 20 previous matches in all competitions.
“We started to play, to fight,” Leipzig coach Marco Rose said. “Really different to the first half. We were too passive in every situation. We had no power. In the second half, we were the same level (as City). Better late than never.”
Inter Milan 1, Porto 0: Romelu Lukaku is back. He came on as a substitute against Porto and scored late to fire Inter Milan to a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League roundof-16 matchup in Milan.
Lukaku had also scored last weekend and they were his first goals since October. He has netted just four since returning from Chelsea in the offseason.
Porto midfielder Otavio was sent off following a second yellow card 12 minutes from time. The second leg is on March 14 in Porto. It was Porto’s first defeat in 23 matches.