Man City 5-1 AEK Athens: Foden shines with hat-trick in comfortable win

Phil Foden bagged a hat-trick as dominant Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 win over AEK Athens to claim their second Champions League victory of the campaign.

Match Report

Foden had waited 10 months for a goal before four arrived in back-to-back outings, adding to his strike against Ipswich at the weekend with three tidy finishes, the first two from Rico Lewis assists.

Man City had far too much quality for their Greek visitors despite leaving Erling Haaland in the stands, with Enzo Maresca allowing 17-year-old Floyd Samba to deputise in his place. Maresca proved his point in doing so: City have many other means of scoring beyond Haaland.

Elliot Anderson was also on target in a dominant first half that included 10 efforts on Alberto Brignoli's goal, with Allan striking the crossbar and Rayan Cherki going close.

AEK failed to land a shot on target until Stavros Pilios pulled a goal back early in the second period. But their hope was short-lived. Cherki scored City's third five minutes later to kill any suggestion of a comeback and Foden issued another timely reminder of his class by completing a statement hat-trick.

The last time Foden scored three times in the same game was April 2024. It's felt like a lifetime since the City Academy graduate, a known favourite of Pep Guardiola, was anywhere near his dazzling best. His latest display was somewhere close to perfect.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

4' Match Event for Man City vs AEK Athens

12' GOAL! Anderson scores his first UEFA Champions League goal! Man City 1-0 AEK Athens

19' Foden's great cross is blocked by defenders

23' CLOSE! Allan enters the box on a jinking run and fires a shot against the bar

34' GOAL! Lewis assists Foden to double the lead! Man City 2-0 AEK Athens

48' City win a corner after Enzo Fernández's shot is blocked

51' GOAL! Pilo pulls one back for visitors! Man City 2-1 AEK Athens

55' Foden misses the rebound after Enzo's shot blocked

57' GOAL! Cherki's precise finish restores City's two-goal lead! Man City 3-1 AEK Athens

63' Highlight from Man City vs AEK Athens

65' GOAL! Foden gets his second one from Lewis assist! Man City 4-1 AEK Athens

69' Gianluigi Donnarumma holds the curling shot from inside the box on the right

77' GOAL! Phil Foden completes his hat-trick! Man City 5-1 AEK Athens

Line-ups

Man City XI: Ruben Dias, Donnarumma, Elliot Anderson, Foden, Cherki, Gvardiol, Enzo, Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Allan, Floyd Samba

Subs: Gerónimo Rulli, Bettinelli, Haaland, Guehi, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Iliman Ndiaye, Doku, Kaden Braithwaite, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Vitor Reis, Ryan McAidoo

AEK Athens XI: Alberto Brignoli, Mario, Marin, Jovic, Harold Moukoudi, Lovro Majer, Barnabás Varga, Lazaros Rota, Filipe Relvas, Stavro Pilo, Kervin Arriaga

Subs: D. Vida, Petros Mantalos, Charalampos Lykogiannis, Gacinovic, Oleksandr Zubkov, Kaan Kairinen, Aboubakary Koita, Milán Vitális, Zini, Marios Balamotis