Man City won in a match with 8 goals

Coach Pep Guardiola's team created an emotional match when they defeated Monaco 5-3 in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16.

Goals: Sterling (26'), Aguero (58', 71'), Stone (77'), Sane (82') - Falcao (32', 61'), Mbappe (40').

The Etihad home team fell behind twice, but continued to explode in the second half to gain an advantage before the away trip to Monaco in the second leg.

Falcao returned to Manchester and played like a maniac against his old club's rivals Man Utd. The Colombian striker made it difficult for defender John Stones to mark him. Falcao scored the equalizer for Monaco after Sterling had opened the scoring for Man City. The striker then added another classy goal when he dribbled and finished delicately over goalkeeper Caballero.

However, if Falcao had converted the penalty he won early in the second half, things could have gone differently for Monaco, with the visitors leading by two goals, having previously led 2-1 thanks to a late first-half strike from the “new Thierry Henry” Kylian Mbappe.

Leroy Sane scored the decisive goal to give Man City a two-goal lead over Monaco. Photo: Reuters.

Man City were very resilient in chasing their opponents in the second half. Aguero took the lead when he scored twice to equalize for the home team, including one goal after goalkeeper Danijel Subasic made a mistake and let the ball slip through his hands.

John Stones made amends for a disastrous defensive display with a close-range finish to give Man City their first lead in the second half. Leroy Sane made it 5-3 late on after a build-up play stemming from David Silva's superb pass to Aguero who broke the offside trap.

This victory gives Man City a two-goal advantage over Monaco. However, with the performance of Guardiola's team's defense in this match, the chance is not over for the principality team. Monaco will qualify for the next round if they win the second leg by two goals and do not allow Man City to score more than three away goals.

Aguero proved his class when he returned to the starting lineup. Photo: Reuters.

In the match against Monaco, Aguero showed his importance to Man City, despite being benched recently. Two goals when the team was behind and the assist for the winning goal were proof that Man City will have a hard time finding a replacement for the Argentine striker.

Aguero's tireless work has left Monaco's defence struggling to keep up. The striker often runs into the opposition defence to lure in space for his satellites Leroy Sane and Sterling. With his performance, Aguero has proven that he is still an indispensable player for Man City on their journey to conquer this season.

Falcao has scored 15 goals in his last 15 games for Monaco. Photo: Reuters.

If Man City has Aguero, then Monaco also owns a striker who is eager to regain the glory of Falcao. The chance of this team to continue will be placed on the shoulders of a striker who once buried his reputation in England, but is coming back stronger than ever. The two goals against Man City are the "Tiger"'s declaration to those who still doubt his ability.

The first goal was a Falcao classic, as he escaped the defender's clutches and found the perfect spot to head the ball. The second was even better, with his deft handling of the ball turning John Stones into a clown before unleashing a finish that European media described as "world-class".

The way Falcao tormented the Man City defense at the Etihad was like a slap that woke up the English team. With the explosiveness of this striker and a loose defense on the Man City side, the match promises to have many surprises ahead.

According to VNE