Sports Desk:

Champions League 2024-25: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola came up with a bizarre explanation for scratches on his nose and forehead after the Premier League giants were held to a 3-3 draw at home by Feyenoord on Tuesday.

In Short

• Manchester City wasted a three-goal advantage against Feyenoord
• Feyenoord scored thrice in the final quarter, much to the disappointment of City fans
• Guardiola was at a loss to explain the team’s inability to close out the game

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was visibly distraught after the Premier League giants wasted a three-goal advantage against Feyenoord in a Champions League match at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, November 26. Guardiola shocked the press while addressing them after the game when he explained scratches on his face and forehead.

In addition to the on-field issues, Guardiola also drew attention to his physical appearance during and after the match. He had a cut on his nose and other scratches on his head, which he explained in a somewhat bizarre manner.

“Yes, it’s my finger here. With my nail,” he said, before jokingly adding, “I want to hurt myself.” This quip, though likely made in jest, underscored the frustration and emotional toll the recent performances have had on the manager.

The draw against Feyenoord was particularly galling, given that Manchester City had seemed to be cruising towards a comfortable victory. Erling Haaland’s brace and Ilkay Gundogan’s goal had put the hosts 3-0 up early in the second half, only for Feyenoord to score three times in the final quarter of an hour. This collapse was the first time under Guardiola that Manchester City had failed to win a game after taking a three-goal lead and for the first time overall since 1989.

GUARDIOLA BACKS HIS PLAYERS

Guardiola was at a loss to explain the team’s inability to close out the game, but he defended his players, particularly the young defender Josko Gvardiol, who had a difficult night.

“He’s so young, he will learn,” Guardiola said.

“It will be a good experience. The way he played, he was the best player on the pitch. I will be so wrong to point a specific thing in our defeat.”

At the end of the game, the crowd booed Manchester City, who dropped to 15th in the 36-team table on eight points, two points off the top eight who qualify automatically for the last 16. The next 16 sides entering a two-leg playoff to try to join them in the new Champions League group-stage format, introduced this season.

Manchester City’s current form is their worst under Guardiola, with the team having lost five successive matches across all competitions for the first time since 2006. This streak has left them in 15th place in the Champions League group stage and facing a critical match against Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday. Guardiola acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting that losing to Liverpool would create an 11-point gap, a deficit he admitted would be nearly insurmountable