On the occasion of his 100th Champions League match in charge of Manchester City, coach Pep Guardiola made 10 changes to the starting lineup compared to the loss against Newcastle in matchday 12 of the Premier League last weekend.

Midfielder Nico Gonzalez was the only player to retain his starting spot, as Rodri and Mateo Kovacic remained absent due to injury. Key players such as Gianluigi Donnarumma, Ruben Dias, Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland, and Phil Foden were all benched, making way for Nathan Ake, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Abdukodir Khusanov, Rico Lewis, and Oscar Bobb.

Manchester City's starting lineup in their 0-2 loss to Leverkusen on matchday five of the Champions League group stage at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England, on 25/11. Photo: Man City.

Despite the squad rotation, Manchester City controlled the game with 54% possession and 18 shots, 8 on target, against Leverkusen's 4 shots, 2 on target. Defensive lapses and wasted attacking opportunities cost Guardiola's team the match.

In the 22nd minute, Manchester City had five players in the penalty area, not including goalkeeper James Trafford. Yet, they allowed Alex Grimaldo to run in unchallenged and score with a diagonal shot, opening the scoring.

In the 54th minute, from a cross on the left wing, Patrik Schick rose high to head the ball diagonally, placing it beyond Trafford's reach to make it 2-0. Nathan Ake was helpless in the aerial challenge against the Leverkusen striker, falling flat.

Patrik Schick celebrates the winning goal. Photo: Reuters.

Only after falling two goals behind did Guardiola bring on Haaland and Rayan Cherki. Earlier, Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku were also introduced to refresh the attack. The changes proved ineffective, as these star players lacked a finishing touch.

In the 70th minute, Foden threaded a pass for Haaland to break through, but he failed to beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken in a one-on-one situation. Three minutes later, from a cross on the left wing, the Norwegian striker controlled the ball cleanly but shot over the bar. Subsequently, Cherki missed with an inaccurate shot from outside the box and had a free-kick saved by Flekken.

Erling Haaland reacts after missing an opportunity. Photo: AP.

Manchester City lost two of their last four home Champions League matches (winning two), matching the number of defeats in their previous 37 matches at the Etihad (winning 30, drawing five). This also marks their first home defeat in the Champions League group stage in 24 matches, since losing to Lyon in September 2018.

Manchester City also ended their 13-match winning streak against German opponents at home in the Champions League. The last time they faced a similar situation was a 1-3 loss to Bayern Munich, then managed by Guardiola, in October 2013.

Hong Duy