Manchester City secured their first victory of the 2024 Champions League season with a resounding 4-0 win against Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday night. Goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland, and James McAtee ensured a dominant performance by the reigning European Champions.
City, fresh off winning the 2023 Champions League, now have four points from two matches, following an opening 0-0 draw against Inter Milan. In contrast, Slovan Bratislava’s troubles deepened after being dismantled 5-1 by Celtic in their previous match.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Foden praised the Slovak side despite their heavy defeat: “Got to give (Slovan) respect. It was difficult to break them down. The atmosphere was unbelievable.”
He added, “We did the job at the end and managed to find the space. On another night, there could have been more goals, but we’re delighted with the 4-0. After the draw (with Inter), we had to get the win, so we’re on the right steps now.”
From the opening whistle, City dominated, parking themselves in Slovan’s half and bombarding the hosts with shots. Gundogan opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a fortuitous strike, marking his first goal since rejoining City after a season at Barcelona. The German’s shot deflected off Slovan’s Kyriakos Savvidis, leaving goalkeeper Dominik Takac helpless.
Just seven minutes later, Foden extended the lead, scoring his first goal of the season. The England international curled a precise shot into the bottom corner after being set up by a sharp pass from Jeremy Doku.
City’s third came in the 58th minute through star striker Erling Haaland, who bagged his 42nd Champions League goal. The Norwegian latched onto a through ball from Rico Lewis, rounded Takac, and calmly slotted the ball into the empty net. Haaland, who has already netted 11 goals this season, was substituted shortly after, having done his part for the night.
The final goal came in the 74th minute, courtesy of 21-year-old James McAtee. The youngster, who joined City’s academy at the age of 11, scored his first-ever goal for the senior team, latching onto a chipped pass from Foden.
“I’m over the moon,” McAtee said. “It’s what every kid dreams of, so it’s a dream come true.”
The scoreline could have been even more lopsided, with City launching 28 shots, 14 of them on target. The woodwork denied City three times, and Takac produced several impressive saves, including a last-minute stop to deny Gundogan and a diving effort to parry a strike from John Stones.
With this win, City has put themselves back on track for their European title defense.
