On these type of evenings Manchester City are like The Terminator. A relentless foe that refuses to be cowed no matter what comes at them. It was Copenhagen’s courage in answering the sparkling Kevin De Bruyne’s opener with Magnus Mattsson’s leveller, the Belgian then creating Bernardo Silva’s second.
All of these goals were plundered before the interval. Before and after De Bruyne was the prime City personification of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the Hollywood blockbuster whose epithet “I’ll be back” could be applied to the irresistible 32-year-old.
At Copenhagen’s Champions League home games the Boomtown Rats’ I don’t like Mondays is played. A line says, “there are no reasons”, and with De Bruyne fresh from a five-month injury layoff and in flying form, who has any good ones why Pep Guardiola’s side cannot retain the trophy.
The manager will protest otherwise, of course, but, as illustrated here, City have added a street-tough attitude to the high-octane football, Phil Foden’s late third a killer blow to the Danes.
Guardiola sent out the XI he assesses as his current best, which meant Jack Grealish operating wide instead of Jérémy Doku, John Stones preferred to Manuel Akanji to partner Rúben Dias in central defence, and Nathan Aké shuffled across to left-back, for Josko Gvardiol.
It dominated. De Bruyne fluffed a header then, after a foul on Stones, the Belgian took the free-kick down a right channel from where Bernardo Silva turned the ball in. Up rose Rodri, Kamil Grabara saved and Aké, lacking an attacker’s cool, spooned over.
As is usual here the home crowd were a bellowing raucous mass. Not for long, though, as City hushed them via their opener. It was simple as Phil Foden roved inside and stroked to De Bruyne and his finish was weighted perfectly to beat Grabara and roll inside the latter’s right post.
Ten minutes had gone. Too soon to consider this as a long night ahead already for Jacob Neestrup’s men? Perhaps not because this time the ever-moving De Bruyne materialised on the left and flighted the ball just too high for a leaping Erling Haaland.
The Guardiola gameplan had to be recalibrated after 21 minutes due to Grealish being forced off from a seemingly innocuous challenge. Doku replaced the winger and immediately slipped Silva in behind on the left. The Portuguese’s cross pinballed off Grabara’s arm onto the bar and Copenhagen escaped.
Next in the file of City’s walking wounded was Foden though he recovered as the visitors remained in control but the relentless rhythm they love to adopt had been chopped up by the injury interruptions.
They are so good only a moment is needed to rediscover them. It came in a sublime sequence that featured Rodri chipping left to Doku who dipped the ball over for Haaland to fly at, volleying marginally over.
A Guardiola mantra in Europe is about how any opponent can prosper. Copenhagen first threatened this when Magnus Mattsson, in a crowded area, nearly pulled the trigger. Moments later he did and equalised. Ederson hashed a pass out to Mohamed Elyounoussi, but his shot was blocked by Dias, the ball went to Mattsson and he fired into the top right corner.
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The contest is firmly back on. The Danish faithful’s noise level rocketed back up. Suddenly Mattsson was in again but this time he sprayed over. Guardiola has spoken of City being transformed under him into a believer in the theatre of continental combat. Now was the time to prove it.
They did superbly and with the best timing: close to the end of the 45 minutes, and could thank that man De Bruyne again, who now turned provider. A dink found Silva and he beat Grabara, again to his right, and was hailed with a Guardiola arm pump as City walked off for the break ahead.
In the opening minutes of the second half, City hogged the ball and moved those in white about. But, then. Doku miscontrolled, the hosts claimed a corner, Mattsson dropped this in from the right and Elyounoussi went agonisingly close.
A warning for City so De Bruyne took over. First, he unloaded, forcing a Grabara save. The following act was a surge from the right that claimed a free-kick that Foden aimed at the goal but Grabara could clutch. Next De Bruyne was in the centre circle being upended by Kevin Diks.
Rodri and Haaland can be touted as the City’s most vital players but De Bruyne is surely this, a gallop down the wing the latest calling card. His errors, too, are collector’s items, but when Foden made one Copenhagen used the transition to hurtle upfield, an Aké diving header needed to clear the danger.
Urged by Guardiola to maintain positive body language, Haaland barely had a sniff. He will come again, of course. As, too, will City in the home return in three weeks.
