Man City vs Red Star Belgrade LIVE: Champions League result as Julian Alvarez hits double in comeback win
Man City 3-1 Red Star Belgrade: Alvarez scored twice after half time as the holders came from behind to begin their Champions League defence with three points
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Your support makes all the difference.Holders Manchester City recovered from falling a goal behind to outclass Red Star Belgrade 3-1 in their Group G opener with Julian Alvarez scoring twice at The Etihad.
Pep Guardiola's side dominated the opening period but were guilty of wayward finishing and trailed to a sucker-punch just before halftime as Osman Bukari broke clear to finish in style.
City began the game on a 26-match unbeaten run in Champions League home games and normal service was resumed almost immediately after the restart as Alvarez levelled after combining with Erling Haaland.
A misjudgement by Red Star keeper Omri Glazer allowed an Alvarez cross to go into the net on the hour and Rodri made it 3-1 with a clinical finish after 73 minutes as City made it 19 home wins in succession in all competitions.
Man City 2-1 Red Star Belgrade
67 mins: Julian Alvarez should have a hat-trick. He’s played into space in the box and lets fly with a decent effort but can only find the side-netting.
It’s just another reminder of how good the Argentine forward actually is.
Man City 2-1 Red Star Belgrade
64 mins: Save! Kyle Walker swings a deep cross into the box as Erling Haaland peels away from his marker. He meets the ball in the air and nods it down but Omri Glazer has the post guarded and pushes the ball onto the upright where it rebounds to safety.
GOAL! Man City 2-1 Red Star Belgrade (Alvarez, 60’)⚽️
60 mins: Manchester City have a second goal. They win a free kick over to the left of the penalty with Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez standing over it.
Alvarez takes the shot and curls it over towards the far corner. The ball swings in but Omri Glazer should deal with it. He comes out to punch it away but misses the ball with his fist and nudges it into the back of the net.
City lead!
Man City 1-1 Red Star Belgrade
57 mins: Chance! Julian Alvarez takes a shot from range and smokes the effort straight at the goalkeeper. Omri Glazer fumbles the ball and sets up Erling Haaland from close range.
Haaland only has time to poke the ball at goal and he isn’t able to lift it high enough over the keeper who gets a touch to the ball and stops it from crossing the line.
Man City 1-1 Red Star Belgrade
56 mins: Ruben Dias hits Bukari with a heavy tackle and gets himself a yellow card. That’s the third one of the night.
City continue to push forward with Pep Guardiola readying a change on the sidelines.
Man City 1-1 Red Star Belgrade
53 mins: Disallowed goal! Kyle Walker runs into the box from the right side of the pitch as the ball is clipped over the top. He controls it and looks for a cutback but the ball is deflected back to the City captain.
He then pokes it into the back of the net but the offside flag goes up and the goal is chalked off. City look dangerous once again though.
Man City 1-1 Red Star Belgrade
51 mins: Alvarez is dictating City’s play from the middle of the pitch. He feeds the ball over to Jeremy Doku on the right side but the winger has nowhere to go.
The ball comes back to Alvarez who holds it up and waits for his teammates to overload the Red Star defence.
GOAL! Man City 1-1 Red Star Belgrade (Alvarez, 47’)⚽️
47 mins: That didn’t take long!
A pass is threaded through the middle and come to Julian Alvarez who flicks it up to Erling Haaland. Haaland holds the ball up inside the penalty area waiting for Alvarez to make a run past him.
He does and collects the ball. A slight touch takes him around the goalkeeper but a second, deft touch pushes the ball into the back of the net.
Second half! Man City 0-1 Red Star Belgrade
Manchester City get the ball rolling once more at the Etihad Stadium needing to find a way back into the game. That will only come through a goal and preferably the next one.
City haven’t been clinical tonight but now need to switch it on.
Newcastle earn Milan draw but ‘group of death’ will reveal its true value
Twenty years ago, Newcastle United went to the San Siro and came away with a draw. Two decades later and, in their first Champions League away match since, Eddie Howe’s side just about managed to hang on in order to repeat the feat. A goalless draw against AC Milan lacked the scoreline of that previous 2-2 against Inter in 2003, but given the dominance of the Italian side and the sheer amount of their chances the hosts wasted, this will go down as a valuable point on Newcastle’s long-awaited return to Europe’s top table.
Whether it is enough in a group that also contains Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund feels like a separate issue, and whether, in time, the Premier League side may regret not doing more to try and take three, but even asking that question is a sign of how much has changed in 20 years. This is not a great Milan team and Newcastle’s wealth is now far greater than the seven-time European champions. Although Champions League semi-finalists last season, Milan finished fifth in Serie A in the same year and on Saturday were thrashed 5-1 by Inter in the derby.
Yet this will still be a memorable trip for those who travelled from the north east, which almost became a famous one at the death. It took Newcastle until the 94th minute to have their first shot on target but it came close to stunning the San Siro, as Sean Longstaff’s drive was tipped over by substitute keeper Marco Sportiello. It would have been the ultimate smash-and-grab, with Milan finishing with 25 shots on goal and Nick Pope having to make a series of saves to earn Newcastle their point.
Newcastle earn Milan draw but ‘group of death’ will reveal its true value
AC Milan 0-0 Newcastle: Nick Pope’s saves earned the visitors a point on their first Champions League appearance in 20 years
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