Man City make history in Champions League

A historic milestone was set in the Champions League when Manchester City officially surpassed Manchester United’s unbeaten record.

According to UEFA rules, Man City’s loss to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the 2023/24 Champions League on penalties was considered a draw, as the two matches ended in a draw. Despite losing in the nerve-wracking penalty shootout, Man City are still considered “undefeated” according to the tournament’s regulations.

With this special calculation, Man City officially surpassed the previous record held by Manchester United. The “Red Devils” record was a 25-match unbeaten streak in the Champions League, set under legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson from 2007 to 2009, before being defeated by Barcelona in the final in Rome.

Pep Guardiola’s side have now extended their unbeaten run to 26 games, since losing 3-1 to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2022. A resounding 5-0 win over Sparta Prague early on October 24 (Hanoi time) helped Man City officially surpass that record, and set a new milestone in the most prestigious club competition.

Not only in the Champions League, Man City are also recognized as the team with the longest unbeaten streak in the history of UEFA competitions. This includes matches in the European Super Cup as well as the Europa League, surpassing Espanyol’s record of 26 unbeaten matches between 2006 and 2019.

“With tonight’s victory, Manchester City officially broke the record for the most unbeaten matches in UEFA competitions, taking the total to 27,” UEFA said in a statement. “Espanyol’s previous record was 26 matches, and Man City have surpassed it since their last defeat to Real Madrid in May 2022.”

The match against Sparta Prague was not only a historic milestone, but also a demonstration of the reigning champions’ formidable form. Phil Foden opened the scoring in the third minute, while Erling Haaland added two more goals, along with goals from John Stones and Matheus Nunes, as Man City won 5-0 easily.

Manager Pep Guardiola expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance: “I really like the way we’ve been playing lately. Of course, that’s not what Man City showed in the second half against Fulham. We created a lot of chances and didn’t allow the opponent to our goal much.” He also admitted that while the 5-0 scoreline might make people think it was an easy win, the team had to be patient to overcome their opponents. “It’s not easy to finish the game with 11 players in the penalty area, but the players were patient and showed their class,” Pep stressed.