Manchester City 3-1 Sevilla: Rico Lewis, Julian Alvarez & Riyad Mahrez cancel out Rafa Mir opener
Rico Lewis #RicoLewis
Rico Lewis, aged 17 years and 346 days, has become the youngest player in Champions League history to score on his first start in the competition, breaking the record held by Karim Benzema (17 years 352 days for Lyon v Rosenborg)
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 trailing to a first-half header from former Wolves and Nottingham Forest striker Rafa Mir when Lewis strode on to Julian Alvarez’s pass seven minutes after the break and drove a powerful shot past Yassine Bounou.
It was a moment Lewis will remember for the rest of his life and the joy on his face as he celebrated was something to behold.
But if the young full-back needed a reminder of the sustained quality required to make it at City, he got it through a superb curling pass from substitute Kevin de Bruyne for the Blues’ second, which went around the back of the Sevilla defence and sent Alvarez running clear.
Riyad Mahrez wrapped up the scoring seven minutes from time.
City are now unbeaten in 23 Champions League games at the Etihad Stadium and, with prolific front-man Erling Haaland watching from the stands and Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips to return from injury, no-one will relish facing them when the competition resumes in February.
Night to remember for teenager Lewis
Pep Guardiola has been rotating the same group of experienced players plus a handful of youngsters all season and, despite the packed schedule and his side’s status as group winners already assured, the City boss did not change that philosophy.
There was the first start for Lewis though.
Born in nearby Bury, Lewis has been with City since he was eight, so this would have been a proud night for his family even without the added ingredient of a goal.
Guardiola simply doesn’t just hand first-team spots away, so Lewis would have known he’d earned it. And when his manager was yelling at him early in the game to get wider and make himself available for a pass, it was clear Guardiola would not be going easy on him either.
But Lewis was happy to adopt the Joao Cancelo tactic of moving into midfield from his full-back berth when City pushed forward – and the long-range shot he screwed wide before the opening period drew to a close suggested no lack of confidence.
His exchange of expressions when Phil Foden caught up with him after his goal was wonderful. Lewis’ first City goal had come at a younger age than Foden’s – he had to wait until he was 18.
Lewis was only 13 when City last lost a European home game which is a startling statistic. The sustained ovation he received as he walked around the pitch to the bench after being told to leave it near the halfway line on the far side when he was replaced by Cancelo five minutes from time was the stuff dreams are made of.
Sevilla flatter to deceive
Sevilla have been a shadow of their former selves this season.
Julen Lopetegui has already been sacked, thus allowing Wolves to make their move for him and his replacement Jorge Sampaoli has only managed two wins in seven games as his side dropped into the La Liga relegation zone. Yet, both in their starting line-up and on the bench, they have players of quality.
At 34, Ivan Rakitic retains the smoothness on the ball that helped Croatia reach the World Cup final four years ago and Thomas Delaney was excellent in his Borussia Dortmund days.
Mir failed to score in 17 combined appearances for Wolves and Nottingham Forest and has not found the net for Sevilla since August. Given the manner in which he guided his far-post header across goal and sent it curling into the far corner for his first-half opener, he should have done.
It proved to be another false dawn for the Spanish side, who drop into 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 phase.
Player of the match
De BruyneKevin De Bruyne
Sevilla
Squad number12Player nameRafa Mir
Squad number18Player nameDelaney
Squad number10Player nameRakitic
Squad number22Player nameIsco
Squad number17Player nameLamela
Squad number23Player nameMarcão
Squad number4Player nameRekik
Squad number19Player nameAcuña
Squad number24Player namePapu Gómez
Squad number13Player nameBono
Squad number3Player nameAlex Telles
Squad number7Player nameSuso
Squad number30Player nameCarmona
Squad number2Player nameMontiel
Squad number6Player nameGudelj
Squad number8Player nameJordán
Line-ups Man City
Formation 4-3-3
18Ortega
82Lewis3Rúben Dias14Laporte21Gómez
80Palmer8Gündogan47Foden
26Mahrez19Álvarez10Grealish
Substitutes
Sevilla
Formation 5-4-1
13Bono
2Montiel30Carmona23do Nascimento Teixeira4Rekik19Acuña
12Mir18Delaney10Rakitic22Isco
24Gómez
Substitutes
Live Text
Match ends, Manchester City 3, Sevilla 1.
90’+4′
Second Half ends, Manchester City 3, Sevilla 1.
90’+3′
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Nemanja Gudelj.
90’+2′
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Yassine Bounou.
90’+2′
Attempt saved. Phil Foden (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Julián Álvarez.
90’+1′
Attempt missed. Thomas Delaney (Sevilla) left footed shot from the centre of the box is high and wide to the left.
88′
Attempt saved. Rúben Dias (Manchester City) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Bernardo Silva with a cross.
88′
Corner, Manchester City. Conceded by Alex Telles.
86′
Josh Wilson-Esbrand (Manchester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
86′
Foul by Gonzalo Montiel (Sevilla).
85′
Substitution, Manchester City. João Cancelo replaces Rico Lewis because of an injury.
83′
Goal! Manchester City 3, Sevilla 1. Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Julián Álvarez.
82′
Foul by Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).
82′
Joan Jordán (Sevilla) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
79′
Attempt missed. Rúben Dias (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a cross following a set piece situation.
78′
Rico Lewis (Manchester City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
78′
Foul by Alex Telles (Sevilla).
76′
Attempt missed. Rafa Mir (Sevilla) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Alex Telles with a cross.
73′
Goal! Manchester City 2, Sevilla 1. Julián Álvarez (Manchester City) left footed shot from the left side of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a through ball.
72′
Attempt missed. Phil Foden (Manchester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Kevin De Bruyne with a cross.
