Seventeen-year-old Rico Lewis scored on his full Manchester City debut as the Blues came from behind to beat Sevilla in their final Champions League group game.
City were behind to former Wolves and Nottingham Forest striker Rafa Mir’s first-half header when Lewis strode onto Julian Alvarez’s pass seven minutes after the break and fired a powerful shot past Yasin Bono.
It was a moment Lewis would remember for the rest of his life and the joy on his face was something to behold.
But if the young full-back needed a reminder of the consistent quality needed to make it at City, he got it through substitute Kevin De Bruyne’s superb curling pass for the Blues’ second, past the Sevilla defence. I left and Alvarez is running clear.
Riyaz Mahrez scored seven minutes from time.
City are now unbeaten in 23 Champions League games at the Etihad Stadium and with frontman Erling Haaland watching from the stands and Kyle Walker and Colin Phillips returning from injury, they will face anyone when the competition resumes in February. Will not like to do.
Night to remember for teenage Lewis
Pep Guardiola has been rotating the same group of experienced players as well as a handful of youngsters all season and, despite a packed schedule and already assured of his side’s status as group winners, City Bass hasn’t changed that philosophy.
It was a first for Lewis though.
Born in nearby Bury, Lewis has been with City since the age of eight, so it would have been a proud night for his family even without the added component of a goal.
Guardiola doesn’t just give away first-team places, so Lewis will know he’s earned it. And while his manager was shouting at him earlier in the game to get wider and make himself available for passes, it was clear Guardiola wasn’t going to go easy on him either.
But Lewis was happy to adopt the Joao Cancelo tactic of moving from his full-back berth into midfield as City pushed forward – and his long-range shot before the end of the opening period suggested a lack of confidence.
His exchange of expressions when Phil Foden caught him after his goal was spectacular. Lewis’ first City goal came at a younger age than Foden – he had to wait until he was 18.
Lewis was just 13 when City last lost a European home game, a staggering statistic. When he was asked to walk around the pitch to the bench, he received a standing ovation when he was replaced by Cancelo five minutes from time, the stuff dreams are made of.
Sevilla Flattery to Deceive
Sevilla have been a shadow of their former selves this season.
Julen Lopetegui has already been sacked, allowing Wolves to make their move for him and his replacement Jorge Sampaoli, who have managed just two wins in seven games as his side face La Liga relegation. Has fallen into the zone. Still, both in their starting lineup and on the bench, they have quality players.
At 34, Ivan Rakitic maintains the smoothness on the ball that helped Croatia reach the World Cup final four years ago and Thomas Delaney was at his best during his Borussia Dortmund days.
Mere have failed to score in 17 combined appearances for Wolves and Nottingham Forest and have not found the net for Sevilla since August. The way he guided his fast-post header across goal and into the far corner for his first-half opener, he should have done it.
It proved to be another false dawn for the Spanish side, who are relegated to the Europa League, a competition they have won a record six times, most recently in 2020, when they accounted for Wolves and Manchester United in the knockout stages.
