UCL: Schalke 2-3 Manchester City – The thriller in North West Germany

Schalke fans were watching in fear as they hoped their club would hold on to the slim lead, but this was challenged in the eighty-fifth-minute by Man City.

Leroy Sane was subbed on and lined up to take the free kick, just outside the penalty area. He unfurled a beauty of a shot that blasted past the goalkeeper and neatly landed in the upper, right-hand corner of the net. A devastating strike to equalize, which provided a dagger into the Schalke hopes.

This was multiplied after Ederson launched a booming pass that landed beyond the Schalke defence onto the boots of the forward rushing Raheem Sterling. He used his burst to slip past defenders into the penalty area, where he nudged a shot full of finesse perfectly past the oncoming keeper. Late heroics by Sane, Sterling and Ederson sealed the fate of Schalke in a 3-2 victory for Pep’s men in the first leg.

However, this victory came with some consequences such as losing Otamendi and Fernandinho for leg two, as the Argentine defender received a red card for two yellows and Fernandinho received a yellow, resulting in a ban. This will have serious implications on the next leg, but three away goals is a serious advantage for the Blues.

Player Ratings for City

Starting XI:

Ederson 7, Aymeric Laporte 7, Nico Otamendi 5, Fernandinho 5, Kyle Walker 6, Ilkay Gundogan 6, David Silva 7, Kevin de Bruyne 6, Bernardo Silva 7, Sergio Aguero 6, Raheem Sterling 8.

Subs:

Leroy Sane 8, Vincent Kompany 6.

This match should create a lively atmosphere for the second leg in the Etihad next month.