Manchester City players celebrate after scoring. (Getty Images)
Manchester City came from behind to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 in the final group game of the Champions League to finish as group leaders. Leroy Sane scored a brace, the first of which was an absolute scorcher to enable the Cityzens win three points.
The away side took the lead in the 16th minute when Aymeric Laporte pushed Benjamin Hubner six yards away from goal to concede the penalty. Former Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric stepped up to slot it past Ederson.
The Germans began the game in a fast approach as well, with the Croatian forward testing the Brazilian early on. Any hopes of Pep Guardiola’s men having an easy night was extinguished by then.
City stepped up after conceding though, with Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones going very close to equalising, before Leroy Sane eventually did with a breathtaking strike. The home side should have gone ahead at the break when Raheem Sterling broke through in the area.
He squared up the German and elected to shoot rather than find Bernardo Silva in space. Hence, it was easy for the Hoffenheim keeper to block the shot.
Sane did make amends though in the 61st minute, this time by taking the ball away from Baumann to slot it in. The move started with a swift counter-attack.
This win means City finish as table toppers, with the last-16 draw due on Monday.
Here’s how the fans of the home team reacted after a good victory against a tough opposition:
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