A coolly taken finish from Erling Haaland ended a personal goal drought and propelled Manchester City into the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Galatasaray at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite a dominant start and an early two-goal cushion, the match was not the fluid spectacle Pep Guardiola demands, leaving the manager visibly frustrated even as his team secured the vital result to skip the competition’s play-off round.
The victory, sealed with a second goal from Rayan Cherki, carried the dual importance of confirming City’s top-eight finish and marking Guardiola’s 400th win in charge of the club, a milestone he achieved in a record 569 games.
The occasion was also notable for the warm reception given to former City captains Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane, who returned as part of the Turkish champion’s lineup.
City began with intent, and Haaland almost silenced any early nerves with a header that drifted just wide within the first three minutes. The Norwegian striker did not have to wait long for redemption.
In the tenth minute, he latched onto an incisive through ball from the outstanding Jeremy Doku, lifting a precise chip over the advancing goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir to score his first goal from open play in his last eight matches and give City the lead.
The electric Doku was instrumental again less than twenty minutes later, teeing up Rayan Cherki just inside the area to fire home a composed right-footed finish and double the advantage.
City’s progress, however, was marred by the first-half loss of Doku, whose influential performance was cruelly cut short by a suspected knee injury following a collision with Davinson Sanchez. His absence seemed to disrupt City’s rhythm, and a below-par second-half performance saw Guardiola’s side surrender momentum to the visitors.
Galatasaray, spearheaded by Victor Osimhen, grew into the contest and forced City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into a smart, low save to preserve the clean sheet. While the home side created further chances through Omar Marmoush and substitute Phil Foden, a lack of sharpness and composure prevented them from putting the game fully to bed.
The match statistics reflected a contest of City’s dominance in chances created and the visitors’ spirited response. City ended the game with ten total shots to Galatasaray’s four, and 52% of the possession, though the second half told a different story as the Turkish side pressed for a way back.
The final whistle brought confirmation of City’s qualification, an outcome sealed by Benfica’s concurrent victory over Real Madrid in another crucial group match.
While the ultimate objective of a direct path to the last 16 was achieved, Guardiola’s animated displeasure on the touchline throughout the second half suggested this performance fell well short of his exacting standards, providing ample material for reflection despite the successful outcome.