Manchester City 2-1 Hoffenheim: 5 Talking Points
Manchester City confirmed their status as winners of Group F after an entertaining 2-1 victory over their German rivals, Hoffenheim.
Hoffenheim raced off the blocks and quickly put City under pressure with their attacking prowess. They deservedly went ahead went Laporte clumsily conceded a penalty. Kramaric stepped up and made no mistake from the spot.
City roared back immediately with constant attacking forays and were eventually rewarded with a goal on the stroke of halftime. Leroy Sane curled in a wonderful free-kick to draw parity.
The home team continued their domination in the second half with the winning goal coming in the 61st minute, courtesy Sane. While the win ensured top spot for City, the defeat consigned Hoffenheim to fourth spot in the group.
Here is a look at five talking points from the game:
#5 City and Hoffenheim serve up a thrilling display of attacking football
Most teams would come to the Etihad and sit deep, hence, allowing City to dictate the tempo of the game. However, Nagelsmann ensured that his side came to the home of the English champions looking to make a mark with their bravery. And boy, didn’t they put on a show.
With Hoffenheim looking to take the game to City, the match opened up considerably and was enthralling throughout. Both teams displayed their inclination to play on the front foot, thus resulting in an end to end battle.
The away side’s front two of Joelinton and Kramaric caused problems for the City defence, with the former’s direct running troubling their back-line in particular. Additionally, Hoffenheim’s midfielders weren’t afraid to support their attackers with the likes Bittencourt and Schulz proving a constant menace on the left flank.
While the away side’s adventure took everyone by surprise, City flexing their offensive muscles was anything but that. Ever since Guardiola took over, City have played an expansive brand of football at home and it was no different against Hoffenheim.
The combination of the German team’s attacking intent and City’s usual home dominance resulted in such an exhilarating match coming to fruition.
With not much riding on the game, both teams produced an absolute spectacle for the neutrals and had it not been for the crazy 3-3 draw between Ajax and Bayern, it could easily have been the most thrilling encounter of the 6th Match-day.