Kevin De Bruyne stars in Manchester City's win over FC Copenhagen in UCL 2023-24 RO16 first leg

Kevin De Bruyne delivered a Man of the Match performance for Manchester City

Manchester City started their first test in the Champions League 2023-24 knockout stage with a 3-1 win over Danish club FC Copenhagen.

The defending champions played away from home and three goals came in the first half. Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden were on the scoresheet for the treble winners.

Kevin De Bruyne was a part of the starting 11 after coming off the bench in the Premier League last weekend. The Belgian playmaker made his first UCL appearance after the historic title-winning match. He opened the scoring for the defending champions in the 10th minute. Phil Foden created the goal for De Bruyne.

The home team was not going to back down. FC Copenhagen won against Manchester United in the same stadium and ended Bayern Munich’s 28-match winning run in the group stage. They equalised through Danish forward, Magnus Mattsson after Ederson gave the ball away on the edge of his penalty box. The 24-year-old arrived in the winter and scored on his UEFA Champions League debut. The home team levelled on the 34th-minute mark.

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Pep Guardiola’s team managed to make a comeback towards the end of the half. The scorer of the first goal created the second. Bernardo Silva slotted the ball past the opposition keeper on the injury and stoppage time. The Portuguese scored with a cheeky finish.

Manchester City tried to increase their lead in the second half. However, Pep’s men failed to break Copenhagen’s sturdy defence, until Phil Foden scored his first of the night. De Bruyne chipped in with another assist. Foden’s goal came just before the final whistle.

The second leg will be played next month. Pep’s men will play five matches before the second leg.

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