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Manchester City 3-0 Marseille: Onto the knockouts

By J.C. Gonzalez

Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Ferran Torres celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 6 group C football match between Manchester City and Marseille at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 9, 2020. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Ferran Torres celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 1st round day 6 group C football match between Manchester City and Marseille at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 9, 2020. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Manchester City wrapped up the group stage of the Champions League with their fifth win from six matches.

There may not have been much on the line for Manchester City’s final game in Champions League Group C, but the group winners put up another victory nonetheless. City were absolutely dominant in these six matches, winning five and drawing one to comfortably finish on 16 points and seal top spot.

Granted, the team was handed an easy draw, but it was still encouraging to see City take maximum advantage and advance to the round of 16 without much difficulty. Porto finished second after a successful campaign of their own, losing only to City. As for Marseille, they surprisingly finished rock bottom of the group on just three points from four matches while Olympiacos dropped to the Europa League in third. I anticipated the French side would be right in the mix for qualification until the final matchday, but in the end, Porto made what seemed an even race for second nothing more than a formality.

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With the Manchester Derby at the weekend, it was exciting to see Ferran Torres get back on the scoresheet once again in Europe, while Aymeric Laporte was able to get back into the team and make his case for a start on Saturday next to Rúben Dias. This match against Marseille may not have hit the heights, but it was a good opportunity for the players to work their way back to full fitness and form as they compete for places.

Given the amount of fixtures that continue to pile up in December, Pep Guardiola and his team will be grateful for a rare dead-rubber type of match. The big matches are ahead, but this was a big stepping stone for what’s to come.