Manchester City defender Nathan Ake said his side must “show character” if they are to end their winless streak after Feyenoord scored three times in the final 15 minutes to claim a 3-3 draw in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium.
City are now six games without a victory but appeared to be cruising towards three points before being stunned by the Eredivisie side, who hit them with goals from Anis Hadj Moussa, Santiago Gimenez and David Hancko to fight back from 3-0 down.
Two goals from Erling Haaland, one of them a penalty, and one from Ilkay Gundogan had the 2023 European champions three up after 53 minutes as they sought the win that would help to get their ailing season back on track.
FULL-TIME | A point apiece.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 26, 2024
🩵 3-3 ⚫️ #ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/6oj1nEOIwm
After the team collapsed in the closing stages, Ake called on his team-mates to show their mettle if their campaign is not to wither away.
Speaking to Amazon Prime, he was asked whether he believed the the team’s problem is a mental one.
“Maybe it is,” he said. “It is difficult to say. Obviously we have not been in this situation many times but this is where we have to show our character.
“When everything seems to go against us and everyone is writing us off, we have to stay strong mentally, believe in ourselves and stick together.
— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) November 26, 2024
“Every season there is a period when they write us off. We have to make sure we stay strong as a team and staff and make sure we get out of it.”
The draw leaves City with work to do if they are to secure one of the eight automatic spots in the last 16 of this season’s Champions League.
They are currently 15th in the table, two points outside of the top eight, and will need positive results in their next two games against Juventus and Paris St Germain to keep their hopes alive.
They then face Club Brugge in their final league match on January 29.
The result at least ended a run of five straight defeats in all competitions ahead of Sunday’s Premier League showdown with leaders Liverpool at Anfield.
“When you are three goals up it feels like a defeat when you give up three goals at home,” said Ake. “It is tough now, a tough night, but the only thing we can do is look forward to the next one. Liverpool is a big game and it is another challenge to overcome.
Every season there is a period when they write us off. We have to make sure we stay strong as a team and staff and make sure we get out of it.
“(We were) 3-0 up and we played quite well and were under control, but then it all changed.
“You just have to stay strong mentally. At 3-1 they then push on but I think we need to go for it a bit earlier so we could keep the pressure on them, but we stayed playing at the back and maybe invited more pressure on us.
“Then when you concede the second one there is even more pressure and then we have to stay stronger mentally.”
