Champions League: Manchester City continue to struggle, Christian Pulisic scores again

Manchester City’s five-game losing streak finally came to an end on Tuesday – and not in the way expected.

England’s four-time defending champions squandered a 3-0 deficit against Dutch side Feyenoord in the last 15 minutes of the second half, drawing 3-3 with just one point on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League first. all around.

Elsewhere, Christian Pulisic’s start to the 2024-25 season continued with another Champions League goal on Tuesday. A first-half strike by the star of the US men’s national team helped Italian stars AC Milan beat Slovan Bratislava away from home, giving the team a 3-2 victory. Rossoneri its third consecutive victory in the opening round of the world’s top club competition.

In Portugal, England’s Arsenal made quick work of Sporting Lisbon en route to a 5-1 victory. In Spain, Barcelona beat French outfit Brest to move up to second place behind Inter Milan, while Bayern Munich rode on a Kim Min-jae goal to narrowly beat 10-man Paris Saint Germain in a rematch of the 2020 final won by the German. the titans.

Here are three quick points from Tuesday’s games.

Manchester City’s struggles laid bare

Man City have been so good for so long under Pep Guardiola that the level of indiscipline remained very low as the Sky Blues losing streak dragged on; On Tuesday, City scored the most points in any game for a month.

Guardiola, who signed a contract extension last week, has won the doubt. And his players as well. The Cityzens were always going to beat someone in the end, and that someone looked to be Feyenoord. Although they kept the boss on the board for almost the entire first half at the City of Manchester Stadium, the dam was broken with a 44th minute penalty award, which Erling Haaland deservedly took advantage of. İlkay Gündoğan doubled the lead shortly after the break. Haaland then added City’s third.

The outcome seemed indisputable at the time. But City’s defensive issues were exposed in the final quarter. Anis Hadj-Moussa first cut the home team 3-1 in a game that could have been prevented. Mexican striker Santiago Giménez made things interesting by making it 3-2.

Indeed, the equalizer came from centre-back Dávid Hancko in the 89th minute – completing the most unlikely Champions League comeback in recent memory. Defeats may be over, but Guardiola & Co.’s problems. apparently they don’t exist.

Arsenal draw Sporting Lisbon to get back on track

On paper, the Gunners’ visit to Lisbon was a shambles. There was nothing on the field at Estádio José Alvalade. Arsenal, who lost 1-0 to Inter earlier this month, took the lead through Gabriel Martinelli after just seven minutes and never looked back.

It was 3-0 at the break and 5-1 before the end, with five different goals for the London players. The only blip on the night for Mikel Arteta’s side was the goal conceded to Gonçalo Inácio just after the break.

The narrow victory lifted the Gunners to seventh place at the moment. They will host Monaco at the Emirates on Matchday 6.

Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan teammates help

It’s been a consistent theme in the first few months of the campaign: seven years of European titles dropping points despite Pulisic’s consistent, career-best production. Conceding three consecutive goals in a 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in September after the American had given Milan an early lead is a case in point.

Milan lost their next Champions League game, against Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen. But two subsequent 3-1 victories over Club Brugge and especially defending title holders Real Madrid in the Spanish capital have clearly boosted the players’ confidence, even if consecutive Serie A draws in the two games after that have not been evident.

Tuesday’s victory felt like a game Milan might not have won earlier this season – not after it took the hosts just three minutes to cancel out Pulisic’s debut.

His colleagues helped with this. Rafael Leão (surprisingly coming off the bench) and Tammy Abraham scored in the second half, and that two-goal cushion was crucial after Slovan pulled one back with just two minutes left in normal time.

Obviously there is a difference between Slovan and Liverpool. The former, at 0-5, sit last in the 36-team table. However, winning the Champions League has never been a rule. The three points are tied for Milan, who have the chance to advance to the playoffs as this competition is about to enter the final stage.

Doug McIntyre is a football reporter for FOX Sports. A staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in FIFA World Cup competitions on five continents. Follow him @by DougMcIntyre.

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