That’s all from me. Bye!
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Jamie Jackson has filed his match report from the Etihad:
This victory was as smooth and serene as Manchester City’s passage into Friday-week’s draw for the quarter-finals.
Three-one up from the first leg, Pep Guardiola sent out an XI that rested the frontline artillery of Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Nathan Aké and Kyle Walker ahead of the crunch clash with Liverpool and Copenhagen still trailed 3-1 at the break, 6-2 on aggregate.
Manuel Akanji, Julián Álvarez and Erling Haaland were City’s scorers, Mohamed Elyounoussi registering Copenhagen’s consolation as the second half became an exercise in keeping shape and concentration for the Catalan’s side.
Much more here:
In tonight’s other game, Real Madrid completed a 2-1 aggregate win over RB Leipzig:
Final score: Manchester City 3-1 Copenhagen (aggregate score 6-2)
90+4 mins: And that is very much that. A straightforward but not overwhelming victory for Manchester City, who played with an eye and a half on Sunday’s fixture against Liverpool. Copenhagen were brave on the ball and enterprising with it, but once Grabara had flapped in an early second they were entirely doomed.
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90+2 mins: Rico Lewis hits the bar! A shot from the edge of the area that deflects off Vavro and roars into the woodwork.
90+1 mins: Hamilton runs down the left, cuts into the area, is absolutely determined to shoot no matter how unpromising the circumstances so does so, straight into a defender.
90 mins: Mattsson gets booked for fouling Lewis.
88 mins: Finally it happens, and 18-year-old Jacob Wright replaces Haaland for a Champions League debut.
86 mins: City want to make a substitution, but they can’t because they’re too busy ball-hogging and the ball isn’t going out of play.
83 mins: Another good move from Copenhagen, but it ends with a blocked shot looping into the air, Akanji kicking it clear, Cornelius kicking Akanji, and the latter getting a yellow card.
80 mins: From a Copenhagen corner the ball drops to Bardghji on the edge of the area, whose effort is so dismal it deflects to Elyounoussi, a couple of yards to his right, and he hoofs his effort well over the bar.
78 mins: Another nice move from Copenhagen ends with Mattson’s shot deflecting wide. They bring Birger Meling on for Jelert.
76 mins: A Copenhagen corner is played long, headed back in, flicked even further back in, and then bounces kindly into the hands of Ederson.
73 mins: The physios have popped his finger back into place but he will play no further part in this game. Micah Hamilton comes on.
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72 mins: Matheus Nunes is on the floor and appears to be in pain, and judging from the angle one of his fingers is pointing it’s no surprise. The physios are on.
70 mins: When Copenhagen coach Jacob Neestrup was talking yesterday, it all seemed a little forlorn. “We might not be able to get through but it makes a massive difference if we put in a good performance rather than completely fold,” he said. “We will do our absolute best. We will not throw in the towel.” His side has very much lived up to those words. They have not completely folded, even after a dismal opening. They have not thrown in the towel. Obviously they’re still going out, but with heads held high.
68 mins: Another change for City, for whom John Stones replaces Ruben Dias.
66 mins: Ederson denies Copenhagen a second! They commit players forward, work the ball well, and it all ends with it running to Mattsson, whose snap-shot from 10 yards or so is too close to the City keeper, who beats it away.
62 mins: Denis Vavro steals the ball just outside City’s penalty area, but then undoes his good work but putting in a useless low cross.
59 mins: A double change for the visitors: Roony Bardghji and Magnus Mattsson come on, and Froholdt and Achouri come off.
56 mins: Uefa’s latest stats suggest City have completed 471 passes to Copenhagen’s 198, and they are currently working on making those statistics even more one-sided.
53 mins: “Even if Copenhagen probably don’t have a hope in heck, their goal will surely live on in compilation vids,” writes Kári Tulinius. “It reminded me of Guti’s second best backheel assist (what a player he was).” Oskarsson’s was a good backheel assist, for sure, but it wasn’t as good as this.
49 mins: Copenhagen try to play out from defence, but Alvarez nicks the ball and feeds Haaland, who turns and shoots into a defender from 20 yards.
46 mins: Peeeeeep! City get the second half started. Sergio Gomez has come on for Rodri at the break, with Sunday’s game against Liverpool on Pep Guardiola’s mind.
Half time: Manchester City 3-1 Copenhagen (City lead 6-2 on aggregate)
45+4 mins: And that is half of the time. City took complete control of the tie with two early goals, spent a while working out how much they cared about scoring even more, and then decided all things considered they wouldn’t mind. Copenhagen have been fine in most areas, and scored a genuinely excellent consolation, but the defence has been wobbly and Kamil Grabara in goal made an absolute howler for the second.
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GOAL! Manchester City 3-1 Copenhagen (Haaland, 45+3 mins)
That’s excellent work from Haaland, who collects another long diagonal from Rodri on the edge of the area, controls well, cuts onto his left foot, sends the keeper across goal and shoots inside the near post.
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45+1 mins: There’ll be three minutes of stoppage time, give or take.
45 mins: They threaten it now! Rodri’s long diagonal finds Matheus Nunes running into the right side of the area, his main worry being whether to put the ball into the net himself or find a cut-back so someone else can do it. Then the flag goes up.
44 mins: An extended spell of City possession now, without threatening the Copenhagen area.
39 mins: There have been three shots on target so far. Not a good night for the keepers, and a bit of a nightmare for Grabara.
What a flick 😮💨
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) March 6, 2024
Copenhagen have pulled a goal back against Man City with a 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐮𝐥 goal.#UCL pic.twitter.com/l3ICzlXcmj
35 mins: Copenhagen give City a go with the ball and they nearly punish them for it, but a defender gets back to prod Haaland’s pass away from Alvarez.
32 mins: Now Copenhagen are playing the ball around while City drop deep to counter them, and their fans are massively outsinging the home supporters and jumping up and down.
GOAL! Manchester City 2-1 Copenhagen (Elyounoussi, 29 mins)
They’ve only gone and scored a beauty! A good break, a fine and perfectly-timed through-ball from Elyounoussi to Oskarsson, a superb first-time backheeled return, and Elyounoussi sidefoots past Ederson!
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26 mins: City have actually looked a bit like a side that has almost entirely changed since their last game and aren’t entirely convincing. And they’re still two up with over an hour to play.
21 mins: City have a corner and don’t score from it! So that’s something. It’s not a very good corner from Alvarez, and it drops onto the roof of the net. As the ball loops out of touch Ankersen hauls Akanji to the ground, for which the referee generously but laughably gives Copenhagen a free-kick.
20 mins: Vavro hooks the ball into touch to stop Haaland, who I’m not sure has touched the ball yet, running clear on goal.
16 mins: Copenhagen have a corner! And a shot! The corner is cleared to the edge of the area from where Clem boshes the ball way over the bar.
15 mins: Bobb dinks the ball into the penalty area, and the only thing that stopped Haaland running onto it and popping in a third was the fact he slipped and fell over. Given that there were 10 Copenhagen players in the box, space was remarkably easy to find.
13 mins: So it is now 5-1 on aggregate, the game has started as badly as Copenhagen could possibly have feared, and there are at least 80 game minutes for things to get worse.
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GOAL! Manchester City 2-0 Copenhagen (Alvarez, 9 mins)
Another attack, and another goal! Bobb runs into the area but his shot deflects off a defender and behind. The corner goes beyond the far post, where Rodri heads against the bar, and the ball’s half-cleared to Alvarez, wide on the left of the penalty area. He shoot, a ridiculous idea from there, and it flies face-high straight at the keeper, who inexplicably fumbles it in.
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8 mins: Uefa thought Copenhagen would play a 5-3-2 formation but it’s very much 5-4-1, certainly out of possession (so all the time), with Orri Oskarsson on his own up front.
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Copenhagen (Akanji, 5 mins)
And so it begins! City’s first attack ends with a right-wing corner. Alvarez sends it into the area where Manuel Akanji sidefoots a volley into the roof of the net!
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3 mins: A fine stat courtesy of TNT Sports: Copenhagen start three teenagers tonight – the last time any Champions League side did that was Ajax, and the teenagers were Kanu, Kiki “Chris” Musampa and future Watford ace Nordin Wooter. Those players are now 47, 46 and 47.
1 min: Peeeeeeep! Copenhagen get the game under way.
The players have come out, the anthems have been played, and hands have been shaken. Gametime.
The players have gathered in the tunnel, and football is but a few minutes away.
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Pep Guardiola says Jeremy Doku has a minor muscular issue, and he decided not to take any risks. Jacob Neestrup, the Copenhagen coach, says: “We will do everything we can to solve the impossible task. For us today, in terms of club ranking points, there’s a big difference if we’re going to lose this game 1-0 or we get a draw.”
Big changes for Manchester City: Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic, Oscar Bobb, Julian Alvarez and Matheus Luiz are all starting today having not done so in Sunday’s stroll against Manchester United. All of the players who have dropped out of the starting XI are on the bench tonight with the single exception of Jeremy Doku, who has the night off.
The teams!
The team sheets have been handed in, and the names upon them were these:
Man City: Ederson, Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, Rodri, Kovacic, Bobb, Alvarez, Matheus Luiz, Haaland. Subs: Walker, Stones, Ake, De Bruyne, Ortega, Bernardo Silva, Gomez, Carson, Foden, Wright, Susoho, Hamilton.
FC Copenhagen: Grabara, Ankersen, Jelert, Vavro, McKenna, Diks, Froholdt, Oskarsson, Clem, Achouri, Elyounoussi. Subs: Sorensen, Mattsson, Larsson, Cornelius, Boilesen, Meling, Runarsson, Oscar Hojlund, Bardghji, Gadeberg-Burr.
Referee: Espen Eskas (Norway).
In answer to your question, yes, Oscar Hojlund is Rasmus’s younger brother.
Tonight's #UCL squad 💫
— Manchester City (@ManCity) March 6, 2024
XI | Ederson, Lewis, Akanji, Dias (C), Gvardiol, Rodrigo, Kovacic, Bobb, Alvarez, Nunes, Haaland
SUBS | Ortega Moreno, Carson, Walker, Stones, Ake, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Gomez, Foden, Wright, Susoho, Hamilton#ManCity pic.twitter.com/wIcExpBAFy
Startopstillingen til aftenens 1/8-finale mod Manchester City #fcklive #ucl pic.twitter.com/7OKntuFVsY
— F.C. København (@FCKobenhavn) March 6, 2024
Preamble
Happy anniversary! Yes, today is the quarter-of-a-year anniversary of the last time Manchester city lost a game, since when they have played 19 and won 17. Pep Guardiola’s side are a juggernaut, on a runaway train, riding a landslide towards a tidal wave. Along the way they won 3-1 in Copenhagen in the first leg of this tie, a night when they had 13 shots on target – a ludicrously high number, and also their third-highest tally in the month of February – and an xG of 3.50 while their opponents had one shot on target – a ludicrously low number, and one that three of City’s last seven opponents, and 12 so far this season, have been unable to better – and an xG of 0.33. As if their chances of winning needed lengthening, Copenhagen come into this game amid something of an injury crisis, with Viktor Claessen and Rasmus Falk among the absentees. There’s no such thing as a foregone conclusion in football, obviously, but the real question tonight is how much City will entertain us while strolling to inevitable victory.
“It is close to impossible but we will be ready for this and will try our absolute best for Danish football,” the Copenhagen coach, Jacob Neestrup, lamented yesterday. “We will keep trying. Everyone has to believe we can do this. Anything can happen at any time. We will do our absolute best. We will not throw in the towel.”
“In this competition it is so really important to be focused because in football everything can happen and you have to be aware of that,” Pep Guardiola countered. He means, I think, everything can happen in the same way Bob’s Country Bunker plays both kinds of music. Anything could happen – City could win 3-0, or City could win 8-0. So, drama and excitement await. Welcome!
