Anis Hadj Moussa capitalized on a defensive mistake by Josko Gvardiol to pull one back for Feyenoord in the 75th minute, followed by Santiago Gimenez’s close-range goal, which set the stage for a nerve-wracking finish. David Hancko then headed in the equalizer, leaving Manchester City stunned.
It was a dramatic collapse for City, who had appeared to be cruising to a routine win. The 3-3 draw, which ends their five-game losing streak, will feel like a defeat given the circumstances. The result leaves City outside the top eight in the Champions League and, more worryingly, shows no signs of their poor form improving.
How Man City Fell Apart
What had seemed like a straightforward win to boost City’s confidence quickly turned into another disappointing result. This collapse raises more questions about Pep Guardiola’s side, with the match suggesting that the team has lost the sharpness and resilience they once had.
Despite a strong start, where they appeared in control, Guardiola’s decision to bring on substitutes like Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and James McAtee when 3-0 up midway through the second half backfired. Feyenoord took advantage of a careless back-pass from Gvardiol and some questionable goalkeeping from Ederson, with City’s established stars—Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, and Jack Grealish—left shocked by the dramatic turn of events.
With doubts now growing, City sit 15th in the Champions League standings, heading into a crucial match against Liverpool at Anfield. A loss there would increase the gap to the Premier League leaders to 11 points. This result marks the beginning of what can now be called a crisis.
Guardiola: “Difficult to Swallow”
Pep Guardiola spoke to the press after the game:
“It’s hard to swallow right now. The game was good, we scored three goals and could have had more, but we conceded three, especially the first one. We couldn’t control the final minutes. The team was committed, but when things went wrong, we weren’t strong enough to recover. We need to find a way to win games again. What can we do? Rest and prepare for Anfield.”
On the boos from the fans at full-time, Guardiola added: “They are right to express how they feel. They’re not here to remember the past, they want to see the team perform.”
Feyenoord Coach on ‘Unbelievable’ Night
Feyenoord’s head coach Brian Priske reflected on his team’s remarkable comeback:
“For us, this is an unbelievable night. 3-0 down away from home against what I still believe is the best team in the world. After going 3-0 down, it felt like it would be a long night, but the players kept believing. It wasn’t about tactics but individual quality and moments of brilliance that brought us the draw. I can only praise them for their attitude.”
Man City’s Night in Stats
– Manchester City became only the third English side to fail to win a Champions League game after holding a three-goal lead, joining Arsenal vs Anderlecht (2014) and Liverpool vs Sevilla (2017).
– Feyenoord’s comeback from 3-0 down in the 75th minute is the latest a team has avoided defeat after being three goals behind in a Champions League match.
– City have now conceded two or more goals in six consecutive matches in all competitions, the first time they’ve done so since May 1963, a season in which they were relegated.
