Alvarez double sees City begin European defence on right note
CLINICAL CUSTOMER: Manchester City's Julian Alvarez celebrates. Pic: Martin Rickett/PA Wire
THE name of Glazer, so long despised in the red half of Manchester was popular on the other side of the town last night after the Red Star goalkeeper helped the defending Champions League winners get their campaign off to a winning start.
Israel international Omri Glazer turned in a brilliant first half for the Serbian side, who took a shock lead into the interval, 101 days since City lifted the trophy on that famous night in Istanbul.
But on 60 minutes, a Julian Alvarez free-kick, from the corner of the Red Star area, curled towards the far post and the keeper could only help the ball into his own net via a wayward punch.
It was Alvarez’s second of the evening and, after Rodri added a later third goal for Pep Guardiola’s side, maintained City’s run of 27 games unbeaten at home in Europe - 25 of them wins.
But it had not all been so simple with the moment that stunned an Etihad crowd, who had seen City out-shoot the visitors 22-1 to that point, coming on the stroke of half-time.
Osman Bukari chased onto a through ball from Mirko Ivanic and calmly converted past the advancing Ederson with his effort being ruled out for offside before a lengthy VAR check deemed it on and Red Star had the lead.
The goal came five years to the day since City’s last home European defeat - in a group loss to Lyon - but it took the champions just over 70 seconds of the second half to draw level.
It was a well-worked equaliser, with Erling Haaland receiving and returning passes with Alvarez before the Argentinian World Cup winner rounded the keeper and scored from a tight angle.
And Rodri guaranteed a comfortable-looking scoreline, if not evening, on 72 minutes when Phil Foden dribbled back out of the area and played him a short pass.
The Spanish international darted back into the opposition area and deposited a superb 17-yard shot past Glazer.
Having launched 55 unsuccessful attacks in the first half, it was a deserved and predictable end to the game, although not even the staunchest Blue could claim their treble winners were playing at anything like the dizzy heights of last season.
It did not help the home cause that Glazer was in inspired form, up until the point he picked the ball out of the net.
Nor did it help that Haaland, scorer of seven league goals in five games already this season, is still not operating at the unplayable levels of the last campaign when, all too often, he appeared to have discovered a cheat code to a video game version of the real thing.
First, the striker was on the end of a curling cross from City full debutant Matheus Nunes but lacked his customary sharpness, apparently only seeing the ball late and heading tamely wide.
And then the Norwegian came closer yet, thumping a header against the cross-bar from six yards from a delightful and accurate Foden centre.
They were two of just a handful of chances City carved out against a well-organised and disciplined Serbian team who were enjoying an inspired evening from goalkeeper Glazer.
The Israel did particularly well top keep out a Nathan Ake header, from a Julian Alvarez corner on 29 minutes. And after just 14 minutes, he had done even better, flying to the top right-hand corner of his goal to keep out Rodri’s powerful shot after the City midfielder did well to carve out space before shooting from the edge of the area.
Haaland’s “troubles” - an odd word to describe a striker who has scored seven goals in five league games this season - continued before the break when Sergio Gomez’s pullback found him eight yards out and he could only lean back and clear the bar by some distance.
And Glazer capped a brilliant first half by keeping out a six-yard header from the unmarked Foden, connecting with a Gomez cross, although the City midfielder should have been more clinical.
The exchange of goals made little difference to the pattern of the game although at least City now were playing with more urgency, and more direct intent.
Kyle Walker had the ball in the Red Star goal soon after the equaliser but was ruled offside and Haaland’s troubles continued with a bizarre miss just before the hour.
Glazer could not hold a shot from Alvarez and, with the ball dropping to Haaland six yards out, the City striker could only lift his shot against the keeper’s head.
Ederson 6; Walker 6, Dias 6 (Lewis 83), Ake 6, Gomez 7 (Akanji 58, 6); Rodri 7 (Phillips 83), Nunes 6; Silva 6 (Doku 44, 6), Alvarez 8, Foden 7 (Bobb 83); Haaland 5.
Ortega, Gvardiol, Carson.
Glazer 6; Mijailovic 6, Djiga 6, Dragovic 7, Mitrovic 6 (Lucic 78, 5); Stamenic 6, Rodic 7, Ivanic 7 (Olayinka 68, 5); Bukari 8 (Degenek 83), Ndiaye 6 (Krasso 68, 6), Hwang 7.
Popovic, Spajic, Kanga, Katai, Krasso, Milunovic, Kangwa, Vasiljevic, Kabic.
J Pinheiro (Portugal) 6
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