Reporting note: this article draws on Sky Sports; LodiScore provides the summary and editorial framing.
Foden hat-trick: Phil Foden scored three times as Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 at the Etihad, a second Champions League victory of the campaign. Elliot Anderson and Rayan Cherki also scored. Erling Haaland was named on the bench and did not come on.
City led 2-1 at half-time and 4-1 by the 65th minute. AEK's only shot on target before their goal arrived on 52 minutes. The margin was built on finishing in the final third rather than sustained territorial control.
Foden hat-trick ends a ten-month wait
Foden had gone 10 months without a goal before four arrived across back-to-back matches, following his strike against Ipswich at the weekend. Three came here: a stabbed finish on 34 minutes, a guided effort into the top corner on 65, and a tap-in on 76.
Rico Lewis supplied the first two assists. Ryan McAidoo supplied the third. The finishes were close-range and central; the entries into the box were not. Foden's starting positions sat between AEK's midfield and defensive lines, receiving on the half-turn.
It was his first hat-trick since April 2024. Foden said afterwards he has "still got a long way" before he is back at his best, but that he is "going in the right direction and scoring along the way".
Manchester City without Haaland
Haaland was named on the bench and stayed there. Enzo Maresca started 17-year-old Floyd Samba in his place. City's first half produced 10 efforts on Alberto Brignoli's goal, with Allan striking the crossbar on 23 minutes and Cherki going close.
Anderson opened the scoring on 12 minutes, steering home the rebound from Enzo Fernandez' free-kick for his first club goal. The lead doubled on 34 when Foden combined with Lewis and stabbed beyond Brignoli.
AEK Athens response and the Pilios goal
AEK did not land a shot on target until Stavros Pilios scored early in the second period, striking across Gianluigi Donnarumma on 52 minutes. The deficit was two. It lasted five minutes.
Cherki found the bottom corner on 57 to restore the three-goal margin. Foden's second on 65 and third on 76 removed any remaining variance from the scoreline. The result was not closer than the score after the hour.
Key moments
- 12: Anderson scores the rebound from Fernandez' free-kick.
- 23: Allan hits the crossbar.
- 34: Foden combines with Lewis and finishes.
- 52: Pilios pulls one back for AEK.
- 57: Cherki finds the bottom corner.
- 65: Lewis tees up Foden for the top corner.
- 76: McAidoo sets up Foden's tap-in.
Maresca and Nikolic on the performance
Maresca said he has considered Foden "one of the best English players" since day one, adding that "for different reasons, in the last two years, he was not good enough" but that the staff are trying to help him.
On the fixture, Maresca said it was "not easy, especially after the PSG game", and that City had "two games that we certainly needed to win, and we did our job". He noted that players with few minutes were ready when rotated.
AEK coach Marko Nikolic said his side did not want to "sit back and try to survive" but that City's quality in the finishing phase was "brutal", adding that they "punished every mistake". Nikolic said AEK may have shown "too much respect" for the opponent.
The original report is from skysports.com.
