Lugano 1 Manchester City Women 7 : Seventh Heaven

Manchester City Women kicked off their 2019/20 Champions League campaign with a big win.

The surprising thing about watching this game is that for the first half at least, it seemed unlikely Manchester City Women would run out such big winners. Indeed Lugano looked capable of causing an upset and were neat and incisive, threatening City on the break.

City though looked confident and composed. Maybe there were still basking in their victory over rivals Manchester United at the weekend as from the kick off they seemed focussed on securing a win.

On display here for City was some more solid passing and distribution than had been the case at the weekend, as though with each extra game the team look more capable of ensuring they are in the hunt for trophies at the end of the season.

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Manager Nick Cushing made some changes to the side which won at the weekend and this rotation seemed to pay dividends as our confidence grew. Pauline Bremer started the game in attack and Lee Geum-min and Laura Coombs also made the leap to the first team.

City pressed from the beginning and throughout there was some great combination play as we sought to play in the channels and create opportunities. Watching City Women these days, like watching the youth teams at the CFA is very much like watching the Men’s team. There is a clear and consistent pattern and style being honed, which is distinctive and identifiable.

Georgia Stanway and Caroline Weir both went close before Stanway took the opening goal with trademark aplomb. Running onto a pass slotted through by Bremer, Stanway smashed the ball home.

The downside to the goal was that Stanway limped off shortly afterwards. She had received some rough treatment, caught with an elbow early in the match which went unpunished.

City probed and pressed for a second but were unexpectedly caught on the break and Lugano grabbed an equaliser with a well taken goal past Ellie Roebuck.

Within minutes of the start of the second half City were back in front. Geum-min was brought down in the box and Aoife Mannion stepped up to strike the penalty home.

Even at 2:1 up the game did not altogether appear safe. Too often we have seen from experience a side fail to put the opposition to the sword and surrendering to a draw, but the third goal effectively sealed the result for City and it was a real beauty, a real Goal of the Month contender. A long pass from Houghton was controlled in a single movement by Bremer who then lobbed the onrushing goalkeeper.

Bremer grabbed her second of the match thanks to some trickery in the box as she moved the ball through their planted defence. By this point the Lugano heads had started to drop and City suddenly had the full run of the pitch. It was as though it was up to City how many they wanted to score.

Weir grabbed the goal she deserved at this point having seen some spectacular efforts go very close. She brought the ball under control and hit a sweet low shot past the hapless Lugano keeper. Janine Beckie came on and almost instantly grabbed a goal to leave City sat at 6:1 up with a few minutes to go.

Weir sealed the victory scoring with the last kick of the game as she lifted the ball over the onrushing keeper. By this stage even I had begun to feel slightly sorry for the young Lugano keeper.

This victory keeps the momentum going. It was also important to see Bremer looking sharp after an injury ravaged spell at City. We may need her in this form given the injuries to Ellen White and with Georgia Stanway limping off.