Manchester City took on Hoffenheim in the UEFA Champions League earlier this evening hoping to gain their first points in the competition. The Citizens made a sloppy start to the match and conceded a goal in the first minute. However, Pep Guardiola’s men came up with a terrific response by scoring the equaliser just six minutes after conceding through Sergio Aguero’s goal. The away side kept the pressure on but couldn’t make a breakthrough before half-time.
The second half was all about City pressing on in search of the winning goal. They scored the winner in the dying embers of the game when David Silva pounced on a defensive mistake by Hoffenheim to score from close range. The match finished 2-1 in favour of the Citizens.
Let’s shed some light on how each Manchester City player fared during the match against Hoffenheim.
GK: Ederson – 6/10
The Brazilian goalie made a great save in the first half and was also pretty good with his distribution.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6/10
He linked up well with Raheem Sterling down the right flank and was defensively sound as well.
CB: Vincent Kompany – 6/10
The Belgian veteran struggled to cope with the pace of the Hoffenheim attacks. However, he recovered well and used his experience well in the second half.
CB: Nicolás Otamendi – 5/10
He was caught out in the first minute and was at fault for the Hoffenheim goal. However, the Argentine came back strong and kept things tight at the back.
LB: Aymeric Laporte – 5/10
He had a tough night acting as a makeshift left-back and hardly got involved in the final third.
CM: David Silva – 9/10
The Spaniard was excellent in the first half and played a significant part in the City equaliser. He also scored the winner after pouncing on the ball inside the Hoffenheim penalty box and kept his composure to finish from a tight angle.
CM: Fernandinho – 5.5/10
The Brazilian struggled to stop the Hoffenheim counter-attacks and was not on par with his distribution in midfield.
CM: IIkay Gündogan – 4/10
He was sloppy with his passes and was often caught in possession. A night to forget for the German international.
RM: Raheem Sterling – 6/10
The English speedster used his pace quite well and was unlucky not to score in the first half. However, his impact on the game faded as the match went on.
ST: Sergio Agüero – 6.5/10
The Argentine converted a difficult chance in the 7th minute and looked quite sharp during the game. However, he squandered a few opportunities in front of goal.
LM: Leroy Sané – 8/10
The German had a good game down the left flank and used his pace to run behind the Hoffenheim backline. He completed some dribbles during the game and was City’s best weapon going forward.
Substitutes:
CB: John Stones – 7/10
He kept things stable at the back after coming off the bench.
CM: Bernardo Silva – 7/10
The Portuguese dribbler came on and gave City an edge going forward.
RM: Riyad Mahrez – 6/10
The Algerian was a threat on the counter.
