Manchester City’s relentless pursuit of Champions League glory continues as they secured a 3-1 victory over Copenhagen on Wednesday, advancing to the quarterfinals with a commanding 6-2 aggregate scoreline. The triumph marks the seventh consecutive season that Pep Guardiola’s team has reached the last eight of Europe’s elite club competition.
Manuel Akanji opened the scoring for City within five minutes, capitalizing on a corner from Julian Alvarez. Alvarez doubled the lead shortly after, with a long shot that slipped through the grasp of Copenhagen goalkeeper Kamil Grabara. Despite Copenhagen’s impressive goal from Mohamed Elyounoussi, Erling Haaland restored City’s two-goal advantage just before halftime.
Guardiola praised his team’s consistency, highlighting their unbeaten home run in the Champions League that stretches back to 2018. “It’s a question of time, a process,” he said. “We are a team that believes we can do it.”
City’s victory sets up potential clashes with European giants Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain in the next round. However, few teams would relish facing the defending champions, who remain on course to become only the second team after Real Madrid to retain the trophy in its modern format.
Guardiola’s team extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 20 games, showcasing their ominous form. “We can compete everywhere because we come from the final, semifinal, final, and now the quarterfinals again,” Guardiola said.
City’s seven consecutive quarterfinals appearances equal the feats of Bayern and Manchester United. Barcelona holds the record for the most consecutive last-eight appearances, with 13 between 2008 and 2020.
The defending champions remain in contention for a treble this season, sitting just a point behind Liverpool in the Premier League and having reached the quarterfinals of the FA Cup.
