The night was low and the first leg of the UEFA Europa League round of 16 was played in the early hours of Wednesday morning (14th) as expected. Last year's champions, Manchester City, beat Copenhagen 3-1 on the road with a goal and a key assist from midfielder Chivan Dibny, to take the lead in the match. However, it was a costly victory for the "Blue Moon", as the star of the show, Giallorossi, who made his debut, was injured, and the goal scorer, Bernardo Schwarz, also suffered an injury, which makes the team's next match against Chelsea in the Premier League a dark one.
City quickly broke the deadlock just 10 minutes into the game when Phil Cotton's pinpoint direct pass was met by a decisive shot from Kiyun Dibny on the right side of the box. The Belgian international, whose last 10 UEFA goals have come in the knockout stages, became only the second player ever to accomplish the feat after Binschmar.
However, City suffered a major blow in the 21st minute when wing forward Kialisu left the field with an injury. The star, who is worth a whopping £100 million (about HK$985 million), has been relegated to the bench after a poor run of form this season, and this match was his first start in the last six matches, only to suffer an early injury and add insult to injury to his career path.
City boss Diego Gaudiona had to make an early substitution, replacing Kiarisch with Shelly Medjugorje. Copenhagen midfielder Mattsson leveled the score at 1-1 in the 34th minute after a mistake by goalkeeper Aidachen Moras was intercepted for a counterattack.
The match resumed at the end of the second leg, and City continued to maintain their dominance in possession, with wave after wave of attacks that Copenhagen could only cope with with a rough defense. In the 78th minute, Bernardo Schwarz left the field with an injury. Nevertheless, City remained calm and composed, and in the extra time, Phil Cotton's shot made the score 3-1.
