The current titleholders, Manchester City, fought back from a goal down to secure a 3-1 win over Red Star Belgrade in Tuesday's Group G opening match. Julian Alvarez led the charge with two goals at the Etihad. Despite dominating possession in the first half, City's lack of clinical finishing proved costly, and they were caught off guard right before the whistle when Osman Bukari surged forward to score.
Defending champions Manchester City came back from a goal down to defeat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in their Group G opener on Tuesday, with Argentine Julian Alvarez scoring twice at The Etihad. Pep Guardiola’s men dominated the first half but were guilty of poor finishing and were caught off guard just before halftime when Osman Bukari surged away to finish in style.
Coming into the game with 26 consecutive home matches unbeaten in the Champions League, City regained their momentum early in the second half as Alvarez equalized after a play with Erling Haaland. Later, a mistake by Red Star's Omri Glazer turned an Alvarez cross into a goal, and Rodri capped off the performance with a clinical strike in the 73rd minute, marking City's 19th straight home win across all competitions.
Just over three months after their victory over Inter Milan in Istanbul brought them Europe's most prestigious club trophy, City started their defense in relatively easy fashion. However, the first 45 minutes were nerve-wracking, as they squandered numerous opportunities. When Julian Alvarez finally scored the equalizer in the 47th minute, it felt like the floodgates were about to open.
Erling Haaland, usually a goal-scoring powerhouse, has now gone four Champions League matches without a goal. He struggled significantly in the first half, missing several clear chances during a period where City recorded the highest number of attempts in the league's history. From heading the ball wide to hitting the crossbar and firing over, he couldn't find his mark. Meanwhile, Red Star keeper Glazer was a wall, saving efforts from Phil Foden, Nathan Ake, and Rodri. But in the 45th minute, the crowd went silent as a long ball put Bukari through one-on-one with Ederson.
The Ghanaian forward finished with impressive composure, and although the offside flag was initially raised, VAR overturned the decision, awarding the goal. On the other end, Kyle Walker had a goal ruled out for offside before Glazer's error gifted City their second. The keeper completely missed the ball as Alvarez's powerful right-footed cross ended up in the net. Rodri, who scored the deciding goal against Inter in June, then hammered home a sharp right-footed shot from the left side of the area as Red Star began to tire.
Pep Guardiola commented on the performance, noting that he lost count of the chances they missed in the last two matches. He mentioned that while the team played exceptionally well, they struggled to convert those chances into goals, though their consistency eventually secured the win.