NEW DELHI: Manchester City fans were left in disbelief as Osman Bukari of Red Star Belgrade broke through the City defence to give the visitors an unexpected halftime lead.
This early setback served as a reminder of the challenges that may lie ahead for Pep Guardiola's squad as they seek to defend the Champions League title they claimed for the first time last season.
Nevertheless, normalcy was eventually restored by the end of Tuesday's Group G contest, with Manchester City completing a second-half comeback to secure a 3-1 victory. Despite Bukari's strike serving as evidence of potential pitfalls, Pep Guardiola and his team expressed confidence in their ability to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
“After winning the treble, we need to be the type of champions who prove ourselves that we are able to make a comeback,” Guardiola remarked post-match. "We have things to improve in general, but that’s really, really good.”
Julián Álvarez played a pivotal role in the comeback, scoring twice for Manchester City.
Rodri, whose goal against Inter Milan in last season's final sealed City's European triumph, added a third goal.
Guardiola's side had dominated the first half without managing to breach the defence of Belgrade goalkeeper Omri Glazer, while Bukari seized a rare opportunity at the opposite end.
“We weren’t clinical enough,” noted Rodri. “They scored with the first chance, and the same thing happened against West Ham (on Saturday). The most important thing is at halftime talking to the guys and saying, ‘Don’t panic, let’s keep doing our job.’”
Manchester City, aiming to become the second club to successfully defend the Champions League trophy in the modern era, understand the formidable task at hand. Real Madrid remains the only team to have achieved consecutive titles, securing a three-peat from 2016-2018.
Having reached two finals in the last three seasons, City are expected to perform well again in this year's competition. Guardiola, however, highlighted the difficulty of defending the title, emphasizing that "this competition doesn’t allow for mistakes."
Bukari's goal underscored this point, as it came against the run of play.
Throughout the match, City applied immense pressure on Belgrade, forcing Glazer into multiple saves and striking the woodwork. Players such as Rodri, Álvarez, Nathan Ake, and Phil Foden were thwarted, while Erling Haaland's header rebounded off the crossbar.
The opening goal, however, arrived unexpectedly. As Belgrade's primary outlet on the counter-attack, Bukari had been unable to trouble City's defense until his breakthrough in the 45th minute. He clinically dispatched a shot past Ederson, sparking jubilation among the visiting fans.
The celebration was temporarily halted by an offside flag, but VAR ultimately overruled the decision, granting the goal to Belgrade.
Manchester City had not suffered a home defeat in the Champions League since 2018 and had maintained a 26-game unbeaten streak at the Etihad Stadium in the competition, an English record.
This record was extended to 27 games as City found its attacking rhythm in the second half, with Álvarez levelling the score two minutes after the restart. He then fired City ahead on the hour mark with a stunning free-kick.
Rodri sealed the victory with a well-placed shot in the 73rd minute. A concern for City, however, was an injury sustained by Bernardo Silva in the first half, with Guardiola confirming that Silva would be sidelined for the "next games."
