Match ends, Feyenoord 0, Manchester City 4.
FeyenoordFeyenoord0Man CityManchester City4
John Stones scored twice as Manchester City got their Champions League group campaign under way with a commanding win over Dutch side Feyenoord in Rotterdam.
Stones registered City's fastest ever goal in the competition with a header after two minutes as Pep Guardiola's men made a perfect start.
Sergio Aguero doubled the lead after 10 minutes, latching on to Kyle Walker's cross and volleying into the roof of the net to claim his 23rd goal in 41 Champions League games for the club.
Gabriel Jesus netted on his Champions League debut as City went 3-0 up after 25 minutes, the Brazilian calmly slotting into an empty net after Benjamin Mendy's shot had been palmed out by Brad Jones.
Feyenoord improved after the break but City still had too much for them, Stones adding his second with another header from a corner to wrap up a one-sided win for the Premier League side.
In the other game in Group F, Shakhtar Donetsk beat Napoli 2-1 in Ukraine.
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Fast-starting City exploit Feyenoord frailties
Before the game, Guardiola said City had "to win respect in Europe" after making it past the last 16 just once in seven Champions League campaigns, and failing to win any of their last six away games in the competition while conceding 14 goals.
City will not earn that respect on nights such as this, easing to big wins against limited opposition, but they did what they had to do with efficiency and style.
They were also aided by poor defending by Feyenoord, back in the Champions League for the first since the 2002-03 season, with Stones' opener trickling in after defender Tonny Vilhena made a comically inept attempt to clear off the line.
Aguero's fine finish was much more about City's crisp and clean passing play, but Feyenoord's defensive shortcomings where there for all to see for Jesus' strike - the home players stood still as the Brazilian fired home, mistakenly believing he was offside - and Stones' second.
Feyenoord, managed by former Barcelona and Arsenal defender Giovanni Van Bronckhorst, went into the match on a run of four straight wins at the start of the new Eredivisie season but could pose no threat to the visitors as they slumped to the club's heaviest ever home defeat in European competition.
Just 28% possession and one shot on target betrayed the hosts' lack of invention, and Van Bronckhorst's switch to a back four from a three in the second half perhaps spared them an even bigger defeat.
Will City's 'huge effort' prove money well spent?
Bookmakers have installed City as favourites for the Premier League title and also the most likely of the five English teams in the Champions League this season to win it.
Those odds, coupled with a record £215m spend in the summer, the biggest by any club in any transfer window, has increased expectations.
Summer signings Walker (£45m), Bernardo Silva (£43m), Ederson (£35m) and Mendy (£52m) all featured in the match, with Guardiola acknowledging the role they will play in Europe.
"We have made a huge effort to buy players to make that step forward in Europe, like all the big teams have done," said Guardiola, who has reached the semi-finals in seven of his eight Champions League campaigns as a manager but has not made the final since 2011.
"It's important to see if we can continue to go away from home now and play with an attacking mentality."
Man of the match - John Stones (Manchester City)
'We weren't ready for them' - manager quotes
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola: "There is no doubt about John Stones' quality. His two goals were so important.
"He knows where he has to improve, defending the duels, but he's so young and he is able to achieve.
"When he does, he will become an exceptional central defender."
Feyenoord boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst: "I said they are a very good team, with a lot of qualities and speed - everything to be a top team. We weren't ready for them.
"We started not good. If you concede in the first two minutes and the second after nine minutes - that was a big blow. We couldn't get into the game.
"Maybe we were a bit anxious, nervous - the first time for a lot of players at this level. You could see the difference and the difference was too big."
City register overdue clean sheet - match stats
- Feyenoord have won only two of their last 16 Champions League games (D6 L8).
- Feyenoord have lost four games on the bounce in the Champions League for the first time in the club's history.
- Manchester City have won away from home in the Champions League for the first time in their last seven attempts (D3 L3).
- City have kept their first clean sheet in the Champions League since September 2016 (eight games).
- John Stones' goal after 1:35 is the fastest scored by Manchester City in the Champions League.
- Stones is also the first Man City defender to net a brace in the Champions League.
- Gabriel Jesus is the fourth player to score on his Champions League debut for Man City (also Balotelli, Kolarov & Nolito).
- Sergio Aguero has scored 18 goals in his last 22 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City.
- The last time Feyenoord hosted a Champions League fixture they also conceded at least three goals and that too was against an English side - a 3-2 defeat vs Newcastle in the 2002/03 campaign.
What's next?
City face an away trip to Watford in the Premier League on Saturday (15:00 BST) and will be back in Champions League action at home to Shaktar Donetsk on 26 September, while Feyenoord travel to Napoli on the same night (both 19:45).
Line-ups
Feyenoord
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 25Jones
- 4St. JusteBooked at 38mins
- 33BotteghinBooked at 66mins
- 6van der Heijden
- 21S AmrabatSubstituted forLarssonat 78'minutes
- 8El Ahmadi
- 10VilhenaBooked at 40mins
- 18Nelom
- 19BerghuisSubstituted forToornstraat 45'minutes
- 7Boëtius
- 29KramerBooked at 40minsSubstituted forVenteat 71'minutes
Substitutes
- 11Larsson
- 17Diks
- 20Tapia
- 22Bijlow
- 28Toornstra
- 34Vente
- 41Geertruida
Man City
Formation 4-3-3
- 31Ederson
- 2Walker
- 5Stones
- 30Otamendi
- 22Mendy
- 17De BruyneBooked at 15mins
- 25FernandinhoSubstituted forSanéat 72'minutes
- 21SilvaSubstituted forDelphat 67'minutes
- 20Bernardo Silva
- 10AgüeroSubstituted forSterlingat 60'minutes
- 33Gabriel Jesus
Substitutes
- 1Bravo
- 3Danilo
- 7Sterling
- 8Gündogan
- 15Mangala
- 18Delph
- 19Sané
- Referee:
- Szymon Marciniak
- Attendance:
- 43,500
Match Stats
Home TeamFeyenoordAway TeamMan City
- Possession
- Home28%
- Away72%
- Shots
- Home8
- Away11
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away8
- Corners
- Home3
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away9
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Feyenoord 0, Manchester City 4.
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Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
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Foul by Jeremiah St. Juste (Feyenoord).
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Foul by Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
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Miquel Nelom (Feyenoord) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Hand ball by Miquel Nelom (Feyenoord).
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Attempt blocked. Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Benjamin Mendy.
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Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Miquel Nelom.
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Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Jeremiah St. Juste.
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Fabian Delph (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
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Foul by Sam Larsson (Feyenoord).
Substitution
Substitution, Feyenoord. Sam Larsson replaces Sofyan Amrabat because of an injury.
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Attempt missed. Jens Toornstra (Feyenoord) right footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
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Foul by Raheem Sterling (Manchester City).
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Jean-Paul Boëtius (Feyenoord) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Attempt missed. Karim El Ahmadi (Feyenoord) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Dylan Vente.
Substitution
Substitution, Manchester City. Leroy Sané replaces Fernandinho.
Substitution
Substitution, Feyenoord. Dylan Vente replaces Michiel Kramer.
Post update
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Comments
Join the conversation
Please tell us, (you sneering little radical you!), what kind of wealthy owner you find acceptable. Is it the fact that City's owners are Arabs or is it oil per se that you object to?
Do you prefer owners like the Glazers, for example,who used huge leveraged loans to buy MUFC and now exploit it as a cash cow?
Go on, tell us!
MCFC only spent 10 Million (net) more than MUFC in the last five years and look at the difference in the teams . When Utd won all the trophies by buying the best strikers you didn't complain and now there are other teams with cash to spend you just bleat "unfair" . MCFC are now global superpower in football and will attract more awesome players.
Get used to it.
Yet surprise surprise, focus of pundits attention is still, yep, you guessed it, City have a suspect defence. Apparently.
Lets hope for an all Britain final!
You sound genuinely upset about the brilliant football that Man City play.
Good...
Not sure why you have an obsession with 'oil money ', as opposed to money from elsewhere in the world. China USA Russia Thailand etc.
Remember, It's all coming into the English game providing great players to watch, and billions are going in to the exchequer, i would agree that more money should filter to lower leagues, but that's an issue for all Prem clubs
Ah, found the correct match report to continue your bizarre tirade against Man City?
Let's not mention that you posted some gibberish about Man City on The Liverpool match report.
What a Bell.
Its amazing that a team that plays so fluently and attacks whole game gets criticism what do people want to watch?
Pity you are not capable of reading a simple post,
i wrote that City attracted investment into the club, this was from the owner Sheik Mansour, this investment has been used to attract massive income which will grow and grow as City become more successful.
To compete with the likes of Barca and Real Madrid etc attracting substantial investment is crucial.
I can almost picture the author penning the article through a clenched fist a gritted teeth.
If this were United or Liverpool then the story would have had a tone of positivity.
BBC, have a word with yourself. The ITV boards are looking more appealing nowadays.