De Bruyne kept on his impressive comeback, scoring and providing an assist in Man City’s 3-1 victory over Copenhagen in the opening leg of the round of 16 Champions League.
In the C1 Cup round of 16, Man City’s lead was established by De Bruyne’s risky diagonal shot at a close range in the tenth minute. Man City was travelling to Denmark as guests of Copenhagen. The hosts then equalised in the 34th minute thanks to a mistake made by custodian Ederson.
But Bernardo Silva gave Pep Guardiola’s squad the lead back during stoppage time at the end of the first half. The Copenahagen player attempted to block the ball after De Bruyne dribbled it, putting it in the Portuguese midfielder’s reach.
De Bruyne made his mark again in the 90+2 minute, helping Phil Foden secure a 3-1 victory for Man City over Copenhagen. This gave Man City a significant lead ahead of their rematch at Etihad on March 7 at 3:00 a.m.
After winning the trophy for Best Player of the Match, De Bruyne exclaimed, “I think Man City played a good match.
“We started the first match well, getting an early goal is always important because it helps us feel more comfortable.”The Belgian midfielder revealed that before hitting Copenhagen’s net, his intention was to pass the ball to Haaland:
Before finishing at a tight angle to open the score for Man City, De Bruyne’s intention was to pass to Haaland, but the home defense covered it well so he couldn’t do it.”At that time, I watched to pass to Erling Haaland, but the opponent covered him very well, so I decided to shoot at a tight angle and the ball went into the net.”De Bruyne added: “We made a mistake and they took advantage but then tried to regain the advantage.We had a lot of chances and ought to have scored more goals in the second half. Luckily, the squad managed to score their third goal towards the conclusion of the game, giving them a slight advantage going into the second leg.
The picture of Pep Guardiola beamingly embracing De Bruyne following the game conveys a lot. The world’s most inventive midfielder has proven his effectiveness in nine games since returning to Manchester City, with two goals and seven assists to his name.
“I just want to have fun and play good football.” After a long absence, I’m glad to return and support the team in winning. With my current form, I feel terrific and happy,” the 32-year-old midfielder said.
