Putting Erling Haaland on the bench and giving 20-year-old talent Oscar Bobb his first start, coach Pep Guardiola showed that he does not take the Confederation Cup arena too seriously. Man City controlled the ball 67% but could not dominate the opponent, then paid the price in the 53rd minute. Alexander Isak scored the only goal to help Newcastle win a ticket to the fourth round, against Man Utd.
Man City’s dream of winning four seasons has ended
Isak scored the only goal for Newcastle
Not only Haaland is out, players who are playing well in attack such as Phil Foden or Jeremy Doku are also on the bench, along with defensive pillars Ederson, Kyle Walker or Ruben Dias. Man City’s squad with players who rarely have the opportunity to play together played without cohesion in the first half.
Newcastle also fielded a squad that was not the strongest, with young talents Lewis Miley and Lewis Hall in the midfield. In the first 45 minutes, the home team did not finish once. But the game turned around when Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon entered the field at the beginning of the second half. Just eight minutes after the break, Joelinton crossed the ball completely, completely eliminating the away team’s defense, creating an opportunity for Alexander Isak to tap the ball into an empty net.
Taking the lead, Man City put all their strength into attacking for more than half an hour of the remaining match. Coach Guardiola sent Foden and Doku onto the field, but kept Haaland out. Man City showed a lack of sharpness in finishing, missed opportunities and could not penetrate the home goal.
Man City lost 0-1, but coach Guardiola remained calm after the match and said that winning the quadruple was very difficult. The Spanish strategist emphasized that winning the treble like last season was a miracle.
Newcastle continues and continues to face another Manchester representative, Man Utd, at Old Trafford in round four. Some other prominent matches in the next round are West Ham vs Arsenal, Bournemouth vs Liverpool or Chelsea vs Blackburn.