'The phoney wars are ending' - Manchester City send Anfield verdict as record-equaling Erling Haaland delivers
07.03.2024 - 08:51
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Manchester City became the latest team to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after they secured a 6-2 aggregate win over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday.
Goals from Manuel Akanji, Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland saw Pep Guardiola's side defeat the Danish champions 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium, three weeks after they had won the first leg by an equal scoreline.
That victory means City, the reigning holders, join Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in securing their place in the last eight of the competition, with either Arsenal or Porto, Barcelona or Napoli, Atletico Madrid or Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund or PSV Eindhoven set to join complete the star-studded quarter-final line-up after the second legs of their ties last week.
Following City's win at the Etihad, here's how the national media, and the Manchester Evening News' Simon Bajkowski, reacted to the win.
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'The phoney wars are ending'
In the Independent, Richard Jolly wrote: "For Manchester City, the Champions League tends to start in earnest in the quarter-finals these days.
"The defending champions cruised through to the last eight for a seventh successive season. Now, finally, it gets tougher. City’s propensity to win weak groups and draw one of the lesser lights in the last 16 can delay the meaningful contests.
"FC Copenhagen were brushed aside, as they were always going to be, while Pep Guardiola granted nearly all of his strongest side some kind of rest before their visit to Liverpool.
"For City, the Premier League, like the Champions League, is about to become more difficult, too. The phoney wars are