In the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 in the early hours of Wednesday morning (14th), last year's champions Manchester City were the first to win a crucial 3-1 victory over Copenhagen, thanks to a goal and an assist from midfielder Chivan Dibny. However, the victory came at a heavy price, as the Blue Moon lost their regular star Kiyarisu as well as goal-scorer Bernardo Schwarz to injury, which casts a shadow over their upcoming Premier League clash with Chelsea.
City quickly broke the deadlock just into the 10th minute of the game when Phil Cotton's direct ball was pinpointed to Chieun Dibny, who calmly fired home from the right side of the box. The Belgium international, whose last 10 UEFA goals have all come in the knockout stages, became only the second player ever to accomplish the feat after Bin Schma.
However, City suffered a major blow in the 21st minute when wing forward Kiarisu left the field injured, the £100 million star has been in a slump in form this season and has been relegated to the bench. The game was his first start in the last six matches and he was unlucky to get injured, which is undoubtedly another blow to his career.
City manager Diego Gaudiona had to make an early substitution, replacing Kiarisch with Shelly Medougou. In the 34th minute, a miscue by goalkeeper Aidachen Moras allowed the opposition to intercept a pass and launch a counter-attack, and Copenhagen midfielder Mattsson scored a goal to equalize the score at 1-1.
At the change of ends, 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 due to injury. Nevertheless, City continued to respond calmly, and finally in the extra time, Phil Cotton's shot sealed the 3-1 win.
