Man City cruise past Galatasaray to seal last-16 spot

Haaland and Cherki Send Man City Through to Champions League Last 16

Manchester City bounced back from their shock defeat to Bodo/Glimt with a commanding 2-0 win over Galatasaray, booking their place in the Champions League last 16 in style at the Etihad Stadium.

Facing pressure to avoid the two-legged February play-off, Pep Guardiola’s side delivered a dominant performance that silenced any doubts.

Doku Runs the Show Before Injury Scare

City should have gone ahead in the opening minutes when Erling Haaland headed wide from a perfect Rayan Ait-Nouri cross, but the Norwegian striker soon made amends.

In the 17th minute, Jeremy Doku slipped a sharp through ball into Haaland’s path, and the forward coolly dinked it over Ugurcan Cakir to open the scoring — ending his recent dry spell from open play.

The hosts doubled their lead just before the half-hour mark when Doku, again the architect, laid the ball off for Rayan Cherki, who rifled a stunning finish past Cakir from the edge of the box.

Doku, who provided both assists, limped off with an apparent injury in the 37th minute, raising concerns ahead of City’s next fixture.

Donnarumma Stands Tall; Osimhen Threat Contained

Galatasaray struggled to get a foothold but found a few openings through Victor Osimhen, whose glancing header and low drive forced saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma.

However, the Turkish side never looked like overturning City’s control, with Guardiola’s men comfortably managing the second half and preserving their clean sheet.

City’s qualification for the last 16 means they can avoid the risk of a tricky play-off in the revamped Champions League format.