MANCHESTER CITY U19 6, BAYERN MUNICH U19 0
Khaldoon Al Mubarak was among a clutch of senior Manchester City figures who saw City’s Elite Development Squad demolish a poor Bayern U19 side in the UEFA Youth League in the hours leading up to the senior side’s game at the Etihad today.
The City chairman will have been delighted with a dominant performance by Patrick Vieira’s young charges led by yet another sparkling performance by 17-year old captain Marcos Lopes who has already had game time with the first team this season in the Capital One cup win against Wigan last week.
In a bright start, Jason Denayer opened the scoring after just five minutes with header from a cross by Jack Byrne after a short corner by Lopes. This was soon followed by a Lopes rocket from the right flank as City went 2-0 up within 12 minutes and took advantage of a sluggish Bayern start.
City’s captain made it 3-0 with his second goal, an assured strike, after collecting an untidy Jose Tasende cross from the left before a quarter of the game elapsed.
Lopes could have had his hat trick shortly before the interval but his effort from the left hit the woodwork as the visitors looked woefully out of sorts.
Bayern rallied before half time forcing City ‘keeper Angus Gunn into a save from Michael Eberwein but City fashioned an unassailable lead on the hour when George Glendon beat Husic after exchanging passes with Sinan Bytyqi on the left.
Lopes hit a deserved penalty for his hat trick after Bytyqi was upended in the Bayern area and Devante Cole finished the rout towards the final quarter of the game as City began to ease off.
Lopes forced a late save from Husic while Tasende hit the bar at the end but this was nothing less than a comprehensive victory for City’s youngsters watched by a crowd of of 1487 at Hyde FC’s ground.