JAKARTA - Manchester City beat RB Leipzig in the Champions League Group A match which was marked by a rain of nine goals and finished 6-3 for the hosts at the Etihad Stadium, England, Wednesday local time.
Nathan Ake, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish, Joao Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus scored City's goals which also included Nordi Mukiele's own goal, while the visitors returned with Christopher Nkunku's hat-trick.
what. A. Goal!🔵 Jack Grealish curls in fine 4th for Manchester City on his Champions League debut! #UCL pic.twitter.com/TTJh9SYrBy
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 15, 2021
Launching Antara, the victory brought City to the top of Group A with three points, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge who shared points in other matches, while Leipzig became caretaker.
The Citizens started the goal feast in the 16th minute when he met Grealish's corner with a close-range header, which was followed by Mukiele's own goal as he tried to clear Kevin De Bruyne's cross in the 28th minute.
Three minutes before half-time, Leipzig narrowed down Nkunku's header at the far post to Mukiele's pass, but in injury time the hosts restored the two-goal margin with Mahrez's penalty after Lukas Klostermann had cleared Ferran Torres' header with his hands.
Leipzig cut the gap again six minutes into the second half when Nkunku scored his second to end Dani Olmo's pass, but the visitors' hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed when Grealish curled a shot past keeper Peter Gulacsi to put City 4-2 ahead in the minute. 56.
Nkunku completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute after breaking out of the offside trap to collect Yussuf Poulsen's pass and beat goalkeeper Ederson Moraes with a shot from a tight angle.
Jack Grealish cross = ️Kevin De Bruyne cross = ️🔵 Manchester City going all the way this season?#UCL pic.twitter.com/1162fo1xhQ
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 15, 2021
But two minutes later, City again made it two goals down at 5-4 as Cancelo put his name on the scoresheet with a long-range shot that slid into the bottom left corner of the Leipzig goal.
The visitors then had to finish the game with 10 men from the 79th minute because Angelino received a second yellow card after violating Cancelo.
City took advantage of an 11 against 10 situation when Jesus, who had only been on the bench for Grealish four minutes, scored the home side's sixth goal and headed home from Mahrez's shot to complete the hosts' 6-3 win.
City next travel to Paris Saint-Germain and Leipzig host Club Brugge at the Red Bull Arena in their second Group A match on 28 September.
Lineup:
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Oleksandr Zinchenko; Kevin De Bruyne (Phil Foden 71'), Rodri (Fernandinho 59'), Bernardo Silva (Ilkay Gundogan 59'); Riyad Mahrez, Ferran Torres (Raheem Sterling 72'), Jack Grealish (Gabriel Jesus 81').
RB Leipzig (4-2-3-1): Peter Gulacsi; Lukas Klostermann, Willi Orban, Nordi Mukiele, Angelino; Konrad Laimer (Amadou Haidara 60'), Tyler Adams; Dani Olmo (Brian Brobbey 72'), Emil Forsberg (Dominik Szoboszlai 61'), Christopher Nkunku (Josko Gvardiol 81'); Andre Silva (Yussuf Poulsen 60').
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