Jamie Jackson was at Parken tonight. His report has landed. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Pep Guardiola talks to TNT. “We were really good … so proud … we played at tempo … it’s was perfect … it was really good … it’s not done but the third goal helped us a lot … hopefully we can finish at home with our people … the game was really well played from minute one … we conceded a poor goal but sometimes that happens … we didn’t concede transitions … [Kevin De Bruyne] is extraordinary … the biggest players appear in the biggest stages … I’m really pleased for the result.”
He also reports that Jack Grealish has suffered “something muscular … the groin … it’s a pity … it is what it is … he is gutted, he wants to play.”
Manchester City have now won 11 matches straight in all competitions. They’ve won nine matches in a row in the Champions League. They’re hitting their straps at just the right time. Suffice to say, the double-treble is … yeah, yeah, still a long shot with so much of the season still to unfold. But it’s also very much a real possibility. You wouldn’t bet the farm against them doing it, would you.
Kevin De Bruyne speaks to TNT. “It’s tough … the atmosphere is great … they had a great group stage and we had to respect them … we made one mistake and they pounced on it … we played a really good game … second half we created many chances … we could have scored more … luckily we scored a third and it’s a little bit of an advantage now … they changed to a back five but we still had our chances … we did what we needed to do … it was a long five months [out] … I’m happy to be back helping the team win games … I still need a couple more games for minutes … but I’m getting there and feeling good … the level is good enough for the moment so I’m happy.”
“The level is good enough.” Good enough! Nine goal involvements in six matches since he’s been back from injury, and he’s only played the full 90 minutes in two of them! There are high standards, and there are high standards.
Copenhagen’s fans give their team the ovation they deserve. The hosts played well, given this was their first competitive fixture in over two months. But Manchester City’s supporters clap their heroes in the necessary manner, too, because the reigning champions played marvellously from start to finish, with the exception of one dodgy pass that gifted Copenhagen a goal. The scoreline doesn’t flatter City at all – in fact it could and probably should have been much worse for Copenhagen – and they’ll take a healthy lead back to the Etihad in three weeks’ time. It’d be the mother of all shocks if they don’t make the quarters now … and that in turn is great news for their Premier League campaign, as the second leg is sandwiched by the Manchester derby and a trip to Liverpool, games they can now fully focus on without fretting unduly. The injury to Jack Grealish apart, it’s been an almost perfect day at the office for Pep and his men.
FULL TIME: Copenhagen 1-3 Manchester City
City take a two-goal lead into the second leg at the Etihand on 6 March! One foot in the quarters!
GOAL! Copenhagen 1-3 Manchester City (Foden 90+2)
Foden slips De Bruyne into the box down the right. He keeps going. De Bruyne cuts back, having drawn Grabara off his line. Foden’s there to slam home from close range. What a lovely move. Another lovely move.
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90 min +2: City have certainly looked like finding a third, though. Haaland blazes down the left and takes a whack. Grabara saves well. The rebound falls to Nunes. Blocked. Then Haaland sends a header goalwards. That’s parried. And then …
90 min +1: Copenhagen haven’t really looked like finding a second equaliser.
90 min: There will be a minimum of three minutes added onto the end of this match.
89 min: Stones glides forward like prime-era Beckenbauer, god bless him. He considers shooting from 25 yards, and maybe should have done, because he passes the ball to De Bruyne on his right, and the subsequent low cross is no good.
87 min: De Bruyne takes a big run-up and sends a daisycutter towards the bottom right. He doesn’t really catch it, and it’s an easy one for Grabara to flop over.
86 min: De Bruyne crosses low from the right. The ball pings up off Foden and onto the hand of McKenna, and it’s a free kick just to the right of the D. De Bruyne’s eyes light up.
85 min: Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup is booked for going on a walkabout of Artetaesque proportions outside his technical area.
83 min: City continue to press. Copenhagen continue to defend doggedly.
81 min: Mattsson and Achouri take their leave. Sørensen and Jordan Larsson, son of Celtic legend Henrik, take their place.
80 min: Foden plays a glorious long first-time reverse pass down the right. It very nearly releases Haaland on goal, but Vavro telescopes a leg to hook away from danger. City pressing for a third that really would kill off this game, and probably the entire tie.
78 min: Before the corner is taken, Silva makes way for Nunes. Then the corner, which sees Foden lash a shot over the bar from distance.
77 min: City collectively dance the ball across the face of the Copenhagen goal, right to left, Foden, Doku and Silva all showcasing their moves. Silva floats a cross in from the left. Haaland attempts a looping header towards the top left. It flies over, but only after taking a flick. It’ll be a corner.
76 min: Silva took a while to get back up after that one, and he may not be much longer for this game. Some movement on the City bench.
75 min: Meanwhile the referee’s pocket is in Toaster Mode, as the yellow card pops out again. It could easily have been a red, too, as Diks catches Silva on the ankle with his studs. He’s ripped his sock in doing it, so X very much marks the spot. But it’s just a yellow. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
73 min: City slip back into Probe Mode. Copenhagen counter by switching into Hold Your Shape Mode.
71 min: Gonçalves makes way for Oscar Højlund, brother of Manchester United’s Rasmus. Højlund’s first act is to shoulder-barge Haaland off the ball. It looks a fair challenge, but the referee doesn’t agree, and Falk goes into the book for critiquing the decision.
70 min: Doku cuts in from the left and larrups a riser towards the top right. Grabara extends and parries, one for the scrapbook.
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68 min: Rodri has a whack from distance. His daisycutter dribbles harmlessly wide left, and on the touchline, Pep doesn’t look 100 percent happy with what he’s just seen. To be fair, Rodri has some moral credit in the bank for this particular competition.
67 min: Doku cuts in from the left but can’t get a useful shot away. Foden takes up possession and attempts to steer into the bottom left. McKenna blocks and deflects out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
65 min: Jelert and Achouri take turns to surge down the left flank, the latter looking for Cornelius in the middle. His low cross is easily snaffled by Ederson. Copenhagen certainly have a goal on the counter in them.
64 min: Jelert ships possession to De Bruyne, who curls into the Copenhagen box from the right. Haaland is able to get his header on target, but not with any power behind it. Grabara claims.
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63 min: … nothing.
62 min: Foden slips another cute pass down the right, this time for Walker, who wins a corner. And from that …
60 min: Ederson starts a passing move that covers the entire right flank. Foden at the heart of it, nearly releasing De Bruyne on goal with the final ball. Not quite, but a corner will suffice. Copenhagen clear that easily enough, and counter through Elyounoussi down the left. Elyounoussi crosses long. Cornelius, at the far post, shapes to volley home from six yards … only to be denied by Ake’s strange but spectacular low diving header. What a clearance! What entertaining end-to-end football!
58 min: Walker tries to release Doku down the left with a raking diagonal, but the ball sails through to Grabara. Doku has been, by his own standards, relatively quiet since coming on.
56 min: Achouri clips De Bruyne as the City genius sashays down the inside-right flank. A free kick. Everyone lines up on the edge of the six-yard box. De Bruyne shapes to swing it towards them all, but Foden attempts the surpriser, aiming direct for the top right. The ball floats and it’s easy pickings for Grabara.
55 min: Before the corner is taken, Cornelius comes on for Claesson. Then the corner is taken. Then nothing. We move on.
54 min: … so having said that, Rodri forensically passes down the inside-right channel for De Bruyne, who takes a touch before swivelling and aiming a shot towards the bottom-right corner from distance. It’s heading in, but Grabara tips around the post acrobatically. Fine football all round.
53 min: Silva curls a cross in from the right with the hope of finding Foden, but it doesn’t find his man. City not quite in top gear since the restart.
51 min: Elyounoussi sends a speculative diagonal pass towards Achouri on the left. Ederson comes to the edge of his box to claim. Had Achouri been on the front foot, he might have got there before the keeper, but he was snoozing.
49 min: Elyounoussi slips Mattsson into space down the right touchline. Mattsson – making his debut tonight after joining from NEC Nijmegen – wins the first corner of the second half. Vavro flicks the corner to the far stick, but Elyounoussi isn’t on point to head home. A decent chance passes by.
47 min: City begin the half by stroking it around very patiently indeed. Encouraging the home crowd to pipe down.
Manchester City get the second half underway. No changes.
Half-time entertainment. City also going great guns in the Women’s FA Cup! Faye Carruthers and Suzanne Wrack pore over a controversial weekend of action.
HALF TIME: Copenhagen 1-2 Manchester City
City more than deserve their lead on the balance of play. Indeed they should be further in front. They’ve played some outstanding football. And yet the actual story has unfolded in the most unpredictable way. They don’t look particularly happy as they leave the pitch, no doubt thinking they should have notched up more goals, but while a lead’s a lead, high standards are high standards.
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GOAL! Copenhagen 1-2 Manchester City (Silva 45+1)
De Bruyne challenges Mattsson at the right-hand corner of the Copenhagen box. He’s attempting to play the ball across the face of the box, but it springs down the inside-right channel for Silva, who dinks elegantly across Grabara and into the bottom left. Gorgeous finish, but a huge lucky break for the assist!
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45 min: De Bruyne’s speculative shot is blocked by McKenna, whose previous competitive appearance was for Forest during extra time in the FA Cup at Blackpool.
43 min: Under no pressure whatsoever, Diks and Mattsson mess up a simple throw-in routine. A timely reminder that Copenhagen haven’t played a competitive game for two months.
41 min: … and so despite it all, Copenhagen could conceivably be leading this match. The great Jimmy Greaves had a phrase for this.
39 min: Suddenly the wind is behind Copenhagen, and Jelert sprays a diagonal ball towards Mattsson, who has been ignored by Foden out on the left flank. Mattsson brings the ball down, enters the box, leans back and hoicks over. He should have done much better.
38 min: Foden and Stones combine smoothly down the right … until the latter gets too casual and runs the ball out for a goal kick.
37 min: Parken had fallen a little bit quiet just before the goal. Not now. The place bouncing just as it was before kick-off. Probably more so, given they’ve just seen their side notch a screamer against the reigning champions.
35 min: Tell you what, that goal is a complete affront to the concept of momentum. But it’s a huge mistake by Ederson, and it was snapped up in glorious fashion by Mattsson.
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GOAL! Copenhagen 1-1 Manchester City (Mattsson 34)
City create yet another scoring opportunity … but this time for Copenhagen. Ederson plays a dismal pass out towards Ake. Or more accurately, straight to Elyounoussi. His shot is blocked, but only deflects to Mattsson to his left. Mattsson opens his body and power-curls a 25-yard shot into the top right! The hosts level! Eh?!
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33 min: A throw for Copenhagen down the left, deep in City territory. Walker flings the ball away and is fortunate not to go into the book.
32 min: A rare sortie into City territory for Copenhagen, as Diks and Claesson combine down the left, the latter reaching the byline. But neither shot nor cross can be crafted, and City clear.
30 min: City are now rampant again. Doku and Silva take turns to shoot from the middle of a crowded box. Both are blocked. Copenhagen can only half clear, and this time Silva tries to solve the crowded-box problem by elegantly floating a chip over everybody, towards the top-right corner. Grabara claims the ball just in time.
29 min: City, having briefly lost their momentum in the wake of Grealish’s departure, rediscover their rhythm. Pass, ping, pass, probe, pass. Suddenly they shift up three gears at once, Doku crossing from the left, Haaland whistling a fierce overhead kick high and wide. Had that gone in, the net was heading off towards Sweden.
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27 min: Ah, there’s some better news for City. Foden took a whack but is fine to continue.
26 min: Foden is down now. City’s early mood is in danger of curdling here.
24 min: Diks goes down in the City box, having gone shoulder to shoulder with Rodri. He wants a penalty but come along. Copenhagen go on to earn their first corner of the night, but do nothing with it.
23 min: Doku is immediately into the action. He makes good down the left and feeds Silva, who reaches the byline and aims a cutback towards Haaland. Grabara sticks out an arm and sends the ball flying towards his own net. Nope! It’s Vavro who heads it backwards instead! It pings off the crossbar and away. Nearly an absurd own goal.
(That last bit still stands.)
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22 min: City will be hoping that’s a knock from the Goncalves clip … but there didn’t seem to be a lot in it. Grealish immediately grabbed at his groin.
21 min: Grealish can’t continue. The ball is rolled towards him, but he can’t chase it. He lets it go, then walks off glumly. Doku comes on in his place.
20 min: Perhaps it was a knock rather than a muscle problem, because Grealish trots back on. Doku is still preparing to come on, though.
19 min: Grealish is able to walk off, and in fact he wants to continue. And yet he doesn’t look happy, a pair of sad eyes telling their own story. As he waits on the touchline, sighing, Doku starts to warm up.
17 min: City have been purring, but there’s bad news here as Grealish goes down. He’s clipped by Goncalves and then pulls up, immediately looking towards his bench with a pained look on his face. He knows he’s tweaked something. As he hits the deck, he grabs his groin.
15 min: Grealish dribbles purposefully down the left again. He’s skittled unfairly, but the referee waves play on; however City don’t make anything of the supposed advantage. Grealish has started very brightly.
13 min: De Bruyne curls a cross in from the left. An inch or two lower, and Haaland was burying a header from eight yards. But it flies over the striker’s head. Copenhagen could easily be four down already. It’s going to be a long evening for the Danish champions.
12 min: Just a little over ten minutes gone, and yet it’s legitimate to say that had been coming. How well City have started. The double-treble bid is picking up momentum nicely.
GOAL! Copenhagen 0-1 Manchester City (De Bruyne 11)
Dias switches it left to right. Foden zips in from the flank and plays a cute ball down the inside-right channel and into the box. De Bruyne hares after it and steers a first-time shot across Grabara and into the bottom left. So precise. So good.
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10 min: “It strikes me that Copenhagen have nothing to lose tonight,” writes Justin Kavanagh. “They should have a right go at City, as Newcastle, Wolves and Aston Villa have all done this season to good effect (winning at home). Noone expects them to progress, so at least for the home leg, live Danishly.” Of course, to do that, they need the ball first. And …
9 min: De Bruyne slaps an uncharacteristically witless free kick into the wall. Copenhagen hanging on a bit here.
8 min: City are utterly dominant. A corner is won down the left, and half cleared. The visitors come again down the same flank, Grealish dinking the ball over Claesson only to be cynically checked just outside the box. A free kick in a very dangerous position coming up.
6 min: Mattsson clips Stones late, 30 yards out. Stones springs up and briefly considers a square go. He wisely thinks twice and City take the free kick quickly. The ball’s slipped down the inside-right channel for Silva, who crosses to the far stick. Dias plants a downward header that’s brilliantly parried on the line by Grabara. The ball cannons off the nearly Ake and out for a goal kick. So close! Again!
5 min: City have established their superiority in double-quick time. They’re stroking it around imperiously. Copenhagen forced to sit back and slip into Hold Your Shape mode. No way out.
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3 min: City should be leading. Ake and Grealish exchange passes down the left. Ake dinks a cross in. De Bruyne, free on the edge of the six-yard box, heads weakly wide right. What a chance that was! What a cross, also. If that had fallen to Haaland, huh.
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2 min: City take their first touches of the ball and are bombarded with pantomime whistles. A fine old-school European night already.
1 min: Copenhagen are on the front foot immediately, Claesson attempting a Mark Hughes style bicycle kick on the edge of the City D. Rodri, last year’s final hero, bravely blocks and wins a free kick in the process.
Copenhagen get the ball rolling! Parken pumped and jumping. The atmosphere did for Manchester United recently; will it shake City?
The teams are out! Copenhagen in white with blue trim, City in third-choice [squints] “electric-spark-patterned tops with neon-pink takes on the club crest and sponsor logos” [adjusts pince-nez] “when you watch City play, you can feel the electricity, and now, you can see it too.” We’ll be off in a couple of shakes.
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Pep Guardiola talks to TNT. “It is always dangerous … Champions League is special … especially away, especially the first game in the last 16 … we have been two months disconnected [from the competition] so hopefully we can connect soon and take a good result for the second leg … they will have full energy in the tank to play games … momentum is momentum but you start from zero and have to prove it … the Premier League we have 45 points to play … we cannot draw a match because the opponents are so strong … always you can slip a little bit in the Champions League … one bad game, you can be out … we know it from the past … we will try to impose our game and do a good game … [the intense atmosphere already bubbling in Parken] is nice … nice!”
Erling Haaland up front, Theydon Bois on guitar, Clam on bass.
Pre-match entertainment. Pop your feet up, pour yourself a Mikkeller (this one semi-inspired by Alex Ferguson, maybe) and enjoy.
Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup speaks to TNT. “I am relaxed because it’s a big game not just for Copenhagen but for Danish and Scandinavian football … if you’re not proud and if you can’t relax for a game like this … we have a lot of games where the pressure is huge, when we are expected to win all of the games … one of the reasons we have been doing so well in the Champions League is that it is a kind of free space for us … where the pressure is not as huge … everybody is excited … we are hungry … obviously it is not perfect to go direct from the training pitch to play the best team in the world … it would have been a little bit better if we were in the loop, but things are as they are … it is not going to be an alibi for us not to perform today … the 35,000 fans will do everything they can to carry us forward.”
Manchester City make four changes to the starting XI named for the 2-0 defeat of Everton on Saturday afternoon. Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker come in for Julián Álvarez, Matheus Nunes, Jérémy Doku and Manuel Akanji, all of whom drop to the bench.
København haven’t played since they beat Galatasaray 1-0 in their final group game, two months and one day ago. They’ve made two changes to their starting XI from that game. Lukas Lerager, who scored the winner against the Cimbom only to get himself sent off during the last knockings, is suspended, while Peter Ankersen drops to the bench. They’re replaced by Magnus Mattsson and, making his club debut after joining on loan from Nottingham Forest, Scott McKenna.
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The teams
Copenhagen: Grabara, McKenna, Vavro, Diks, Jelert, Mattsson, Jensen, Goncalves, Elyounoussi, Claesson, Achouri.
Subs: Sorensen, Larsson, Cornelius, Oskarsson, Ankersen, Meling, Runarsson, Clem, Oscar Hojlund, Bardghji, Froholdt, Gadeberg-Burr.
Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodri, Foden, Bernardo Silva, De Bruyne, Grealish, Haaland.
Subs: Doku, Ortega, Alvarez, Akanji, Matheus Luiz, Carson, Bobb, Wright, Susoho, Lewis.
Referee: Jose Maria Sanchez (Spain).
Start-11 mod Manchester City #fcklive #fckmci #ucl pic.twitter.com/0hlkbC1hKj
— F.C. København (@FCKobenhavn) February 13, 2024
Tonight's squad in 🇩🇰
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 13, 2024
XI | Ederson, Walker (C), Stones, Dias, Ake, Rodrigo, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Grealish, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Doku, Alvarez, Akanji, Nunes, Bobb, Wright, Susoho, Lewis#ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/jE78xUkmHT
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Preamble
Manchester City are the quintuple-winning European and world champions. Copenhagen are playing in the knockout stage of the Champions League for only the second time. Manchester City have won all of their last ten games. Copenhagen haven’t played in two months because of Denmark’s winter break. Manchester City beat Copenhagen 5-0 last season. Copenhagen have never beaten Manchester City.
But! In football, you never know. Copenhagen may have never beaten City, but they’ve never lost at home to them either, holding the champions-elect 0-0 last time round, and drawing 2-2 in a 2009 Europa League fixture. In addition, they won the last match against English opposition at the Parken Stadium, that absurd 4-3 comeback victory over Manchester United during this season’s groups. So while City are the hottest of favourites tonight – and for the overall tie, and for the overall competition – you never know. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, 9pm in Copenhagen. It’s on!
