Rivalry drips over outside England: City breaks United's unbeaten UCL record
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Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 24.10.24. | 12:36
Last night's dominant win brought another takeover by the hand of the 'noisy neighbours'
Manchester City set a new Champions League milestone on Wednesday, cruising to a dominant 5-0 victory over Sparta Prague. This win not only placed the Citizens temporarily in the top three of the competition but also saw them break a long-standing record. City’s unbeaten streak in the Champions League has now reached 26 matches, surpassing the previous record of 25 games set by Manchester United between 2007 and 2009.
City’s last defeat in the Champions League came on May 4, 2022, when they lost 3-1 after extra time to Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg. Since then, Guardiola’s squad has been unstoppable, clinching the trophy the following season without a single defeat and bowing out in the 2023-2024 campaign only in the quarter-finals. That exit came in a penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid after two tightly contested draws (3-3 and 1-1, losing 4-3 on penalties).
In the current season, Manchester City began with a goalless draw against Inter Milan, then overwhelmed Slovan Bratislava (4-0) before their latest triumph over Sparta Prague. This incredible run includes 18 victories and 8 draws over the last two years.
On Wednesday, Guardiola was without key players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Doku due to injuries. Despite the absences, City delivered a strong performance.
"We played well," said Guardiola. "I didn't expect them to sit so deep. They've played more offensively in previous games, but today they defended with a low block, making it difficult. Breaking through to make it 2-0 was crucial."
26 - Manchester City have set a new record for unbeaten games in the history of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League, going 26 without defeat (W18 D8) and breaking the record set by rivals Manchester United between 2007 and 2009 (a run of 25). Mastermind. pic.twitter.com/bEs0G9qyhf
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 23, 2024
Phil Foden echoed his manager’s thoughts after the match.
"They really made it tough for us in the first half, and we were a bit sloppy at times," Foden told TNT Sports. "But in the second half, we were able to capitalize on our chances. Against a team sitting that deep, patience is the key. The manager always emphasizes the importance of playing at our own tempo, sticking to our roles, and trusting our teammates to deliver the ball — it’s something he’s very passionate about."
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