The pitch was Manchester City’s own home ground, the Etihad, where they were 3-0 up against Dutch club Feyenoord with just 15 minutes remaining. But what happened next? In a bizarre turn of events, Feyenoord scored three goals in the 75th, 82nd, and 89th minutes to draw level. And City? They became the first team in Champions League history to be leading by three goals at the 75th minute and still fail to win the match!
The disbelief increases even more when you consider City’s recent form. They went into this match on a five-game losing streak in all competitions. After taking a 3-goal lead, it seemed only natural that they would break their losing streak. Yes, City did end that losing run, but how they did it was almost as bad as losing. After the 75th minute, manager Pep Guardiola could be seen with his head in his hands, a mix of disbelief and frustration. Thankfully, Guardiola doesn’t have much hair left—otherwise, he might have pulled it all out!
Looking at City’s recent six-match results, one thing becomes clear: their defense has become a sieve. Since October 30, they’ve conceded at least two goals in each of their last six matches. The team that was solid until October now finds themselves in a dire state come November. Remember, this was the same team that won the Premier League four times in a row and has dominated European football in recent years. Hard to believe? If not, here’s another staggering fact: the last time City conceded two or more goals in six straight matches across all competitions was in 1963, during the year of “The Great Train Robbery,” when Tottenham won their only European Cup Winners’ Cup. That same year, City were relegated from the top English league.
Now, though City’s chances of relegation are slim, their defense is sinking to new lows. City had looked strong earlier in the match—Erling Haaland scored from the penalty spot in the 45th minute, Ilkay Gündogan doubled the lead with a long-range strike in the 50th minute, and Haaland added a third just three minutes later. But in the final 15 minutes, City’s defense resembled an open door. Feyenoord’s Anis Haj Moussa capitalized on a careless back pass by City defender Josko Gvardiol to pull one back. Then, just seven minutes later, Gvardiol’s poor pass led to another Feyenoord goal from Santiago Jiménez. Guardiola couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched from the dugout, his hands on his head. And to make matters worse, in the 89th minute, Feyenoord’s David Hancko scored an equalizer after a mistake from City goalkeeper Ederson.
So, what’s wrong with City’s defense? Guardiola admitted after the match, “I don’t know if it’s a mental issue. The first and second goals shouldn’t have happened. After that, we forgot what had happened, and we were desperate to do better. We did that, but we couldn’t win.” When asked about a slight injury on his nose and head during the press conference, Guardiola joked, “I have nails on my fingers. I want to hurt myself. Good night.”
But for Feyenoord, the night was certainly a good one. They made history as the first team in the Champions League to avoid defeat after being 3-0 down at the 75th minute. Feyenoord’s manager said after the match, “To be 3-0 down at the 75th minute in the opponent’s stadium, and against the best team in the world, then to take away an important point—it’s unbelievable.”
As for City, the unbelievable reality is that they’ve dropped to 15th place in their Champions League group, with just 8 points from 5 matches (2 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss). A team that was flying high just last month is now spiraling downward. Who could have predicted such a fall?
