Riyad Mahrez scored his 20th goal in the UEFA Champions League, but his feat was overshadowed as Manchester City played were held to a 1-1 draw by RB Leipzig in the first leg of the Round of 16 at the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday.
The Algerian international became the fifth African player to reach 20 Champions League goals after Mohamed Salah (44), Didier Drogba (44), Samuel Eto’o (30) and Sadio Mane (27).
20 – Riyad Mahrez is the fifth African player to score 20 Champions League goals, after Mohamed Salah (44), Didier Drogba (44), Samuel Eto'o (30) and Sadio Mané (27). Greats. pic.twitter.com/f9mwFxkemE
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 22, 2023
City came into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest, which saw them fail to reclaim the Premier League top spot from Arsenal and therefore needed a response.
Manager Pep Guardiola, also stated before the game his uncertainty over his team’s chances of winning the Champions League this season. His side, however, took the lead in the 27th minute thanks to Mahrez’s brilliant finish, his eighth goal of 2023.
It seemed as though the Manchester-based side were going to take the victory in Germany, but Croatian centre-back Josko Gvardiol leveled the scores for the home team with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Guardiola surprisingly failed to a make any substitution during the game, making it the first time such has happened in the Champions League under the Spaniard.
City will now go into the second leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 14 with everything still to play for.
The result continued City’s recent struggles on the pitch, and the men in sky blue will turn their attention to the Premier League this weekend, where they will travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on struggling Bournemouth.
