Foot & Soccer Soccer Match Reports, Football News
On September nineteenth, 2018, Olympique Lyon shocked Manchester Metropolis with a 2-1 victory on the Etihad Stadium. This Champions League group stage upset, witnessed by a comparatively modest 40,111 spectators (in comparison with the 48,050 European common that season), marked a turning level.
Then-assistant supervisor Mikel Arteta (now Arsenal’s supervisor) downplayed the influence of the low attendance, stating, “It’s not an excuse. We’ve had this attendance within the Champions League earlier than and received video games. The best situation is to have a full stadium, with individuals supporting and being behind the crew like loopy, however I don’t suppose that’s the reason for the consequence.” The sport was made extra uncommon by Pep Guardiola’s absence; he watched from the stands resulting from a suspension stemming from a earlier Champions League match.
This Lyon defeat, coupled with a previous residence loss to Liverpool, marked the tip of Metropolis’s earlier run of Champions League residence success. Arteta commented, “At this stage, we weren’t adequate. The subsequent sport can be a totally totally different story.“ That assertion proved prophetic.
Since that loss, 1996 days have handed – practically 5 and a half years – with no single Champions League residence defeat for Manchester Metropolis. Their present streak stands at 30 consecutive unbeaten video games on the Etihad Stadium, encompassing 28 wins and simply two attracts. Solely Shakhtar Donetsk (1-1 in 2019-20) and Sporting CP (0-0 in 2021-22) managed to keep away from defeat throughout this exceptional interval.
Dominating victories towards high opposition
Throughout this unbeaten run, Metropolis has defeated Actual Madrid (4-3, 4-0, and 2-1), Bayern Munich (3-0), Atlético Madrid (1-0), and PSG (2-1 and 2-0), amongst others. They’ve additionally recorded emphatic wins towards the likes of Schalke (7-0), Shakhtar Donetsk (6-0), and RB Leipzig (6-3 and 7-0).
Their total file throughout this time is a staggering 97 targets scored and solely 23 conceded. This exceptional success is pushing them nearer to Barcelona’s all-time Champions League residence unbeaten file.
Barcelona held the earlier file of 38 consecutive unbeaten residence Champions League video games between September 2013 and November 2020. Manchester Metropolis’s present 12-game successful streak at residence within the Champions League is closing in quickly. Their present unbeaten run stretches to 22 video games within the competitors. Their final defeat got here in Might 2022, shedding in further time towards Actual Madrid within the Champions League semi-final.
Guardiola himself acknowledged the importance of a powerful residence file. “To win titles, it’s important to be robust at residence. If not, you received’t have any likelihood,” he stated. Nevertheless, he additionally famous the significance of avoiding complacency. The crew’s latest success has been fueled by Erling Haaland’s distinctive goalscoring type; he has scored eight targets in his final 5 matches.
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