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Manchester City cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 clash on Wednesday.
In a one-sided affair, Manchester City posed a serious threat to the Gladbach defense, and it did not take long before they opened the scoring.
In the 29th minute, full-back Joao Cancelo delivered a wonderful cross to Bernardo Silva, who scored a header to give Manchester City the lead.
Borussia Monchengladbach threw men forward in search of an equalizer but were rebuffed by the valiant Manchester City defense.
In the second half, Gabriel Jesus was presented with a glorious opportunity to double Manchester City's lead. However, he failed to capitalize on a defensive mistake by the hosts and took too long before taking his shot at goal.
The Brazilian made up for his miss moments later when he found the back of the net after Bernardo Silva linked up beautifully with Cancelo and headed the ball across goal.
The victory gives Pep Guardiola's men a significant advantage in this Round-of-16 fixture.
Here are the Manchester City player ratings from the encounter:
Manchester City player ratings
Ederson - 6/10
Ederson had nothing to do all game as the Borussia Monchengladbach attack was toothless. He made only one save in the game, with a few interceptions in the second half.
Kyle Walker - 7/10
Kyle Walker provided an extra body in attack as he often marauded up and down the right flank. The Manchester City full-back made great use of his pace against the Gladbach attack and did well to kill their threatening counter-attacks.
Ruben Dias - 7/10
In a routine performance, the former Benfica man showed great composure and leadership qualities at the heart of the Manchester City defense. He distributed the ball excellently and finished with a 98% passing accuracy.
Aymeric Laporte - 7/10
This was a much more confident outing from Aymeric Laporte. The Manchester City defender showed great awareness and stifled any threat that the Gladbach attack posed.
Joao Cancelo - 7.5/10
Joao Cancelo put in a man-of-the-match performance against Borussia Monchengladbach. He was a thorn in the flesh of the hosts as he was more active in central midfield than his left-back position.
His versatility allowed him to move forward freely while handling his defensive duties diligently. Cancelo ended the game with a brilliant assist when he laid the ball for Bernardo Silva early in the first half.
Rodri - 6.5/10
This was another decent outing from Rodri. He provided the extra defensive option in midfield, allowing Kyle Walker, Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan to roam forward freely. He made several interceptions and won the ball whenever Manchester City lost possession.
Ilkay Gundogan - 6.5/10
Ilkay Gundogan kept his passes neat, finishing with a 93% accuracy, and always looked like he was going to get on the scoresheet. He also supported the Manchester City defense, winning four ground duels and one tackle on the night.
Bernardo Silva - 8/10
Bernardo Silva ran tirelessly all game and kept the Borussia Monchengladbach defenders on their toes. In a superb outing, he finished with one goal and an assist to his name.
Raheem Sterling - 5.5/10
Raheem Sterling had another frustrating outing for Manchester City. His decision-making in the final third was poor, despite finding pockets of space and getting into several promising positions. He was substituted in the 69th minute.
Phil Foden - 6.5/10
Phil Foden was a lively spark in the Manchester City attack. He tormented the left side of the Monchengladbach defense with his quick feet and his excellent reading of the game. Foden had a few attempts on goal but failed to find the back of the net before being replaced by Ferran Torres in the 80th minute.
Gabriel Jesus - 7/10
Gabriel Jesus ran at the hosts' defense relentlessly and played a huge part in Manchester City’s opener. The Brazilian fumbled his finish in the second half when he was put through on goal unmarked in the Monchengladbach box. He redeemed himself a few moments later as he doubled Manchester City's lead with a decent strike in the 65th minute.
Substitutes
Riyad Mahrez - 5/10
The Algerian came on for the struggling Raheem Sterling in the 69th minute but did not get too involved in the proceedings.
Ferran Torres - 5/10
The Manchester City youngster replaced Gabriel Jesus with 10 minutes on the clock, but he had little to do with the game all but won.
Sergio Aguero - 5/10
Making his first appearance after 14 games, the veteran forward came in for the final 10 minutes of the game as he looked to build match fitness.
