On Tuesday, Manchester City all but secured their place in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a dominant 5-0 victory over Sporting CP.
Pep Guardiola’s men ran riot in Lisbon. A Bernardo Silva brace helped them to carry a 4-0 lead into half-time, before Raheem Sterling capped off the rout with a second-half stunner.
Bernardo enjoying his return to Lisbon! 🇵🇹🎯#ManCity pic.twitter.com/kTje93BGJd— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 17, 2022
Bernardo enjoying his return to Lisbon! 🇵🇹🎯#ManCity pic.twitter.com/kTje93BGJd
Tuesday’s thrashing saw Man City reach 200 Champions League goals quicker than any other team in the history of the competition. Since the rebranding of the European Cup, not side have hit the milestone in fewer games.
This is how Man City’s achievement compares to some of Europe’s elite clubs.
As you can see, Man City average more than two goals per game in the Champions League. That is a crazy statistic when you consider the strength of the competition.
Guardiola’s side edged out Real Madrid by just a single game on the leaderboard, as Los Blancos required 98 Champions League games to reach 200 goals.
Man City fans will be pleased to learn that it took their team nine games fewer than Manchester United to reach the milestone. The Cityzens also beat heavy hitters such as Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea and Juventus to 200 goals.
It is no secret that City are still searching for their first Champions League title. They made it all the way to last season’s final, only to fall to Chelsea at the last hurdle.
They are currently enjoying their eleventh consecutive season in the Champions League, having consistently qualified for the tournament since 2011. Still, they have never managed to lift the trophy.
If Guardiola’s men continue to score goals at a rapid rate, it is surely only a matter of time between they get their hands on the illusive silverware.
They have already scored 23 goals in seven Champions League games this season, meaning they are averaging just under 3.3 goals per game. If they carry on the way they’re going, they could outscore anyone that stands in their way.