Jack Grealish marked his Champions League debut by helping Manchester City to a 6-3 victory over RB Leipzig in their opening group stage match.
2021/2022 UEFA Champions League
6-3
Match Report
English football's first £100million player wanted to play on the biggest stage and impressed on his first game there, curling home a wonderful second-half strike to settle the nerves for Pep Guardiola's men against a Leipzig side who refused to lie down.
Leipzig forward Christoph Nkunku scored a hat-trick for the Bundesliga side at the Etihad Stadium but City managed to outscore the clinical French striker to pick up their first European three points of the season.
City stormed into a two-goal lead early on via Nathan Ake's header from a corner, before Nordi Mukiele comically headed Kevin de Bruyne's cross into his own net in a backpass attempt to goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.
Then Nkunku hauled Jesse Marsch's Leipzig back into the contest by halving the deficit with a header, but City's two-goal lead was restored by Riyad Mahrez's penalty following Lukas Klostermann's handball.
Nkunku struck again after the break to ramp up the nerves once again for City but then Grealish's moment came on his first ever European game, with the England man cutting inside on a counter-attack before curling a wonderful effort into the top corner.
Leipzig notched the pressure up once again with Nkunku's low effort inside the box earning him the matchball, but Joao Cancelo's wonderstrike from distance re-established City's lead almost immediately.
Former City defender Angelino marked his return to the Etihad Stadium by quashing Leipzig's chances of another fightback by earning a second yellow card late on, before Gabriel Jesus scored from close range after a corner was cleared away.
More to follow.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
15' GOAL! Man City 1-0 Leipzig (Ake)
21' Mahrez's shot wide out
24' Nkunku's shot wide out
27' OWN GOAL! Man City 2-0 Leipzig (Mukiele)
36' OFFSIDE! Andre Silva’s goal disallowed
41' GOAL! Man City 2-1 Leipzig (Nkunku)
45' Penalty Goal! Man City 3-1 Leipzig (Mahrez)
50' GOAL! Man City 3-2 Leipzig (Nkunku)
55' GOAL! Man City 4-2 Leipzig (Grealish)
67' OFFSIDE! Ferran’s goal disallowed
72' GOAL! Man City 4-3 Leipzig (Nkunku)
74' GOAL! Man City 5-3 Leipzig (Cancelo)
78' Second Yellow Card! Angelino sent off
84' GOAL! Man City 6-3 Leipzig (Jesus)
Line-ups
Man City XI: De Bruyne, Mahrez, Cancelo, Ake, Ederson, Grealish, Zinchenko, Ruben Dias, Bernardo, Rodri, Ferran Torres
Subs: Carson, Fernandinho, Walker, Gundogan, Sterling, Jesus, Foden, C. Palmer, C. Slicker, R. Lavia
Leipzig XI: Gulacsi, Forsberg, Orban, Andre Silva, Klostermann, Angelino, Laimer, Mukiele, Nkunku, Olmo, Adams
Subs: Kampl, Poulsen, Henrichs, Haidara, Josep Martínez, D. Szoboszlai, M. Simakan, Ilaix Moriba, B. Brobbey, J. Gvardiol