BUDAPEST: Bernardo Silva scored once and set up another as Manchester City eased to a 2-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in their Champions League last 16 first leg last night.
City, who extended their winning run to 19 games in all competitions, are unbeaten in their last 26 matches and have a huge advantage for the March 16 return leg in Manchester after Silva headed in a pinpoint Joao Cancelo cross in the 29th minute to put them in front.
The Portuguese midfielder then headed on another Cancelo cross in the 65th minute for Gabriel Jesus to stab in.
Striker Sergio Aguero came on as a substitute after a long absence from Pep Guardiola’s team, who have won their last 12 away games in all competitions, setting a new record for an English top-flight side.
The Germans have now lost three of their last four games in all competitions and while City are on the cusp of a fourth straight quarter-final spot, the Germans have a mountain to climb in the return leg.
The first leg was played in the Hungarian capital due to Covid-19 travel restrictions in Germany.
Meanwhile, Ferland Mendy popped up with a late winner to earn lacklustre Real Madrid a 1-0 win over 10-man Atalanta.
Real’s task appeared to have been made much easier after Atalanta’s Remo Freuler was sent off in the 17th minute for denying Mendy a goal-scoring opportunity.
Against the 10 men, however, Zinedine Zidane’s side, who were missing several high-profile players through injury, struggled to break down the hosts, and Real had only one shot on target in the rest of the first half.
Atalanta continued to defend doggedly after the interval, but Mendy’s superb strike in the 86th minute gave the Spanish side a slender lead to take into the second leg.
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