Manchester City overcame a first-half scare against Serbian champions Red Star on Tuesday night, coming from behind to begin the defence of their Champions League title with a 3-1 win.
Red Star captain Aleksandar Dragovic was caught swearing on camera when his side were drawn in City's group but it was the reigning European champions that were cursing their luck for much of the midweek match.
An inspired performance between the posts from Omri Glazer - aside from one notable blunder - helped Red Star keep the score respectable while City racked up 37 shots. Ultimately, the talent laced throughout Pep Guardiola's side proved too much for their spirited, but well-beaten, visitors.
How the game unfolded
When Red Star boss Barak Bakhar was asked a loaded question about his side's ability to frustrate the treble winners, he shot back: "Who said that we will be playing defensively?"
City predictably dominated possession and territory - as they do against almost every visiting team, let alone one that has never spent more than £5m on a player. But Red Star committed to each breakaway, tossing a glut of red shirts forward whenever the sporadic opportunity presented itself.
Osman Bukari hurtled forward in one such surge on the cusp of half-time. Ruben Dias confidently stepped up, arm aloft as Red Star's striker steered a cool finish past Ederson. The assistant's flag eventually adhered to Dias' demands but a VAR check soon began. After a lengthy delay, accompanied by a rumble of ooo's from the 3,000 travelling fans anxiously awaiting the call, the goal was given.
Somehow, with the shot count at a laughable 22-1 in City's favour, Red Star led 1-0 going into the interval.
Unlike Bakhar's questioner, Guardiola had anticipated Red Star's threat. "They are so aggressive and we have to be ready," City's coach warned pre-match. "Quick in transitions, good runners and when they attack, they have lots of players in the final third."
Red Star may not have been set up defensively but they were forced into an awful lot of defending. Goalkeeper Glazer made three exceptional saves in the first half alone, rebuffing Rodri, Nathan Ake and Phil Foden from point-blank range. Erling Haaland beat the keeper but crashed his header off the crossbar.
Julian Alvarez took Glazer out of the equation to haul City level within two minutes of the restart. Scampering onto the second half of a one-two with Haaland, Alvarez toed the ball around Glazer before rapidly prodding it into an unguarded net.
Glazer's dream evening soured on the hour mark. Whether Alvarez's in-swinging set piece would have curled into the top corner is a question for the dubious goals panel but Glazer's glass-wrist of a punch turned it towards his own net.
Israel's number one didn't let the blunder affect him - Haaland continued to be frustrated, extending his longest drought in the Champions League, which now stands at four whole games.
The newly prolific Rodri coolly picked out the bottom corner to make it 3-1 in the 73rd minute, giving the scoreline a more accurate slant in light of City's suffocating dominance.
Man City player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Ederson - 6/10 - Could hardly be blamed for Bukari's well-taken goal. Didn't stop Ederson from rushing off his line when needed.
RB: Kyle Walker - 6/10 - Relished every opportunity to show off his extraordinary pace.
CB: Ruben Dias - 5/10 - Disastrously mistimed his jump forward in a bid to play Bukari offside. Dias' confidence convinced the assistant referee but not VAR.
CB: Nathan Ake - 7/10 - Despite his modest stature - Ake stands a smidge below 6'0 - the Dutchman is a menace in the air.
LB: Sergio Gomez - 6/10 - Tasked with providing the width for City down the left flank, Gomez created a glut of chances which weren't taken.
CM: Rodri - 7/10 - Seemingly unconcerned by Red Star's threat on the break, Rodri surged into the final third at every sniff of an opening. Duly took his goal supremely well.
CM: Matheus Nunes - 6/10 - On his first start for City, Nunes had clearly cottoned onto the blindside runs that most make in sky blue.
AM: Julian Alvarez - 8/10 - Produced a mesmeric slight of foot to somehow evade Glazer and score with two touches off the same right boot.
RW: Bernardo Silva - 5/10 - Forced off injured inside 45 minutes after a wasteful first half in front of goal.
ST: Erling Haaland - 5/10 - The wastefulness that dogged him against West Ham United permeated into Tuesday's contest.
LW: Phil Foden - 6/10 - Rather than holding the touchline, Foden was given licence to drift infield, exploiting his unerring ease in tight spaces.
Substitutes
SUB: Jeremy Doku (44' for Bernardo) - 7/10 - Any whisper of timidity present in his debut had emphatically evaporated. At every opportunity, Doku ran out, and often around, the red shirt in front of him.
SUB: Manuel Akanji (58' for Gomez) - 5/10
Subs not used: Stefan Ortega (GK), Scott Carson (GK), Rico Lewis, Josko Gvardiol, Kalvin Phillips, Oscar Bobb
Manager
Pep Guardiola - 8/10 - Started the match by clogging the middle of the pitch with dainty playmakers and ended it with Doku and Walker haring down the wingers. City created a mountain of chances throughout whichever way Guardiola set them up.
Player of the match: Julian Alvarez (Man City)
This article was originally published on 90min as Man City 3-1 Red Star: Player ratings as Alvarez inspires comeback victory for European champions.
