Man City felt Pep Guardiola wrath but Erling Haaland brought calm amid chaotic 'holiday'

Pep Guardiola grew more concerned the longer he spent in Bratislava on Monday.

Presented with a gift from his opponents as soon as he walked into the stadium and compared to famous Catalan architect in a press conference, the Manchester City manager wanted everyone to remember that this was a competitive test in the most difficult tournament to win in European football. Guardiola wore a suit as sharp as the one he won the Champions League final in to set the tone, but to his frustration it was his players handing out the gifts.

Slovan were ready for a 'fiesta of Slovakian football' to celebrate the club's first ever home game in the Champions League, and they nearly got the perfect start when a poor Ilkay Gundogan corner was cleared, Phil Foden misjudged a clearance and Vladimir Weiss played in Marko Tolic and the Croatian's effort whizzed just wide of Stefan Ortega's post. The whole stadium froze to contemplate their wildest dreams coming true for a split-second before reality hit again.

READ MORE: City player ratings vs Slovan Bratislava as Lewis shines and Foden sends message

READ MORE: Mancini killed my Man City dream - but reunion after 12 years is amazing

City would quickly make the game safe, with a Gundogan volley - his first goal for City since the 2023 FA Cup final - and a nice effort from Foden made it 2-0 inside 15 minutes. One of the biggest mismatches of the group stages was certainly playing out that way as the gulf between the teams was glaringly obvious; City played an astoundingly attacking formation with just three in defence and a holding midfielder to protect Ortega.

They certainly had the chances to extend their lead in the first half, striking the woodwork three times as they toyed with their