the floodlights are shining down on the players here at the home of manchester city i'm derek
ray here on the comedy position joined by lee dixon and we've got so much to look forward to
this is where it all begins in europe's premier club competition the uefa champions league
the group stage match day one action it is manchester city up against bayern munich well
derek i hope you are as excited as me to start the champions league always a special atmosphere
both teams will be hoping for a long journey or it may be very very short we're about to find out
and here's the manchester city lineup edison between the posts
alexander zinchenko starts with kyle walker as full backs kevin de bruyne starts alongside
ilkai gundogan in central midfield and the centerpiece of the attack today is harry kane
well it was an incredible achievement winning the champions league last season
and they'll be very very confident they can go deep in this competition this time round they'll
need to ride their look at times but they've got top players they really have and the expectations
of this club are huge gonna be tough but i'm pretty sure they're confident enough to push it
all the way well here is the bayern side manuel neuer between the posts zulu starts with dalio
ipamicano in central defence and they line up with just the one striker looking to do a bit of damage
it's the opening match day champions league group stage match day one underway
well pressing high is something the visitors like to do it can take a lot out of any team but it
is very much their game lee would you expect that approach this time
yeah absolutely the press looks on the way the team's set up
high energy is needed for this tactic everyone has to buy into it but the rewards are big derek
and bayern munich now in potentially a dangerous position excellent passing
might be able to produce from this position
he was flirting with trouble but the referee has decided not to hand out a yellow card
too much height on it oh my word you can miss a penalty
in all sorts of ways the keeper can save it but to hit it over the bar
ruben diaz and greelish oh that's an interesting pass technically offside but not by a lot
i must say respect and admiration grows for kevin de bruyne with each passing year
so many attributes what are you looking for from the belgian
in this game well virtually everything quick feet
quick mind seize the pass before anybody else so difficult to stop a player like that
tremendous intuition to win it back
on the ball with alfonso davies at times they make passing look easy are they going to forge ahead
great challenge he got nothing but ball
in behind for him to chase he just needs to keep a cool head and he clears it out of harm's way
plenty of players waiting in the middle
now gundam not fantastic defending let's see if it helps the opposition
nicholas zulu and kimmy
thomas versus mueller an attack for a promise looking for that final
pass looking for the goal that would put them ahead thomas muller oh great vision
muna said he did well to win it back racing forward trying to catch them out
all in all a broken counter attack
zane
well great read there to intercept
now the attacking options appear plentiful
can they keep it out
well they can bring it out now well that could be his final rebuke i think
and the referee's making that absolutely clear i like that derrick good refereeing
nice and strong told the player exactly what he was thinking
and he finds the net no difficulties encountered
well here it is again you have to say you should score from a penalty but i've missed
a few of my times a nervy nervy moment for the taker and nothing to lose for the goalkeeper
well the ball is moving again can bayern come up with the right reply
one minutes of stoppage time has been added on
uber and so the halftime whistle is sounded here in manchester
really committed first half performance by harry kane tonight lee
well his manager will be delighted with him he's been spot-on in this game hasn't he
energy and so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
pavar and upper meccano
goretzka now with upper meccano
man city is struggling in terms of possession but to their credit they've been absolutely blistering
on the counter attack they just sit back hit you on the break and it's really working for this team
no-nonsense clearance
so the corner played into the box and he didn't miss by a massive margin at all
well he's got plenty of space on the flank here
now he's in with a chance
making sure nothing untoward happened superb tackle
there's still danger here
well the respectable enough effort but he couldn't extend her lead
given too much space why not take the shot on good effort
and kimmy couldn't keep it
only saw the situation developing
moving it forward
in behind for him to chase
so a throw in here
harry kane
do they mean business on this occasion crossing opportunity well no problems defensively
he's protecting it well well it's a cracking atmosphere in here the players just need to
harness that energy from the crowd to see them through in this game
niklas zulu
beautifully disguised ball
and nothing positive comes of it unfortunately serge canabri leon goretzka
upamicano canabri with it now with ipo mecano alfonzo davies
goretzka has it now jose
they might not get too many more opportunities bayern have got to be positive
serge canaverty
now with kimmy
and full time it is manchester city pick up all three points in this their initial game
of the champions league season yeah really really strong start that's what you need but
with five games to go very important you stay in the now one game at a time derek bit of a cliche
so a positive night for harry kane lee sum up his performance for us he's always a man to watch for
the opposition but they couldn't keep tabs on him in that vital moment when he grabbed that
goal