With a thrilling 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the first leg of their quarterfinal on Tuesday at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City made a significant advancement toward the final four of the Champions League.
The English and German champions put on an exciting show on a windy and rainy night in Manchester, but it was City who displayed superior skill in the final third to advance to the semifinals for the third straight season as they pursue their long-awaited maiden championship.
On minute 27, Rodri scored his first Champions League goal with a beautiful curling strike. On minute 70, Bernardo Silva added a second goal with a header to put an end to Bayern's fightback. Six minutes later, City's best scorer in the competition, Erling Haaland, snatched a possibly deciding third goal as the visitors wilted.
Pep Guardiola faced Bayern Munich for the first time since he left the Bavarians to take over as manager of City in 2016. Also, it was a rematch of his matchup with Thomas Tuchel, the new Bayern coach, in the 2021 Champions League final, which Tuchel's Chelsea team won.
Guardiola won this match decisively, giving City their eighth straight victory across all competitions.
Prior to the quarterfinals, Bayern decided to replace coach Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel. At least in the Champions League, this decision does not appear to have been successful. Bayern will be eliminated from the competition at the quarterfinal stage for a third consecutive year, barring an incredible recovery in the second leg in Munich on next Wednesday.
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