No matter what accomplishments Micah Hamilton may have in his future, his debut with Manchester City will always be remembered as a sweet and shining moment 19 minutes into the game.
The 20-year-old captain of the elite development squad ran in from the right side to collect a pass from Matheus Nunes. He then smashed the ball past Omri Glazer from a difficult angle, causing Hamilton to become extremely excited and run towards a corner of Rajko Mitic Stadium. There, he was surrounded by teammates Nunes, Rico Lewis, Kalvin Phillips, and other star players from City’s team. The captain, who had been with the club since he was nine years old, was now being celebrated by his teammates.
Hamilton expressed his joy at scoring during his debut and mentioned that it still feels surreal to him. He is still processing the experience.
Since City had already secured their spot in the knockout phase as Group G winners, there was no risk involved in their match, making it a stress-free game. This led to a joyous moment when Hamilton scored, and six years ago, he was seen receiving instructions from Pep Guardiola as a ballboy during a match against Crystal Palace, which circulated on social media.
The manager was reminded of an event after being shown a photo. He expressed surprise, saying, “I had no idea. Six years ago? That’s impressive! I’m thrilled for him. He has been training with us frequently and we have seen his one-on-one skills firsthand. He scored a fantastic goal and penalty.”
If this was fairytale stuff then memorable, too, was Oscar Bobb after the hour matching Hamilton’s first senior strike. In a 13th appearance, the Norwegian danced from midfield through a backpedalling Red Star rearguard to beat Glazer, unloading close to the six-yard box.
Despite the game being a glorified training exercise, Guardiola still demanded standards be as high as ever. So when, early on, Cherif Ndiaye broke into City’s area the sight of John Stones guarding Stefan Ortega’s goal and shepherding the forward to safety will have pleased him. Yet after Hamiliton’s strike drew jubilation for City and their 1,200 loyal fans here, the “Delige” – Red Star supporters – soon felt their own exhilaration, though without the end product.
In a crowded stadium, with a low oval-shaped bowl and a running track separating the field from the spectators, Kosta Nedeljkovic sprinted along the right side, maneuvered past Sergio Gómez, and created a curved shot with his left foot that missed high and wide.
Gómez played in a defense with Manuel Akanji and Stones as the central players, while Lewis moved from right-back to midfield to assist Phillips. This was only Phillips’ second appearance in City’s lineup this season, and it may be his last if he leaves next month in order to gain more playing time before England’s participation in the European Championship.
Guardiola expressed uncertainty about Phillips’ future, stating that there are numerous matches leading up to the end of January and he hopes Phillips will be able to contribute to the team during this time.
In the second half, Jack Grealish was substituted with Phil Foden taking his place on the right side, while Hamilton moved to the left. Foden’s first attempt from this position was a close call, narrowly missing the goal with a curved shot.
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Following a substitution by Jovan Mijatovic, the ball hit the base of Ortega’s right post. Red Star then scored with Hwang In-beom, who evaded Phillips and successfully beat City’s goalkeeper. The home crowd erupted in excitement and it sounded like a small explosion. However, five minutes before the end of the game, there was a positive moment for City as Phillips scored from a penalty kick, which was awarded after Hamilton’s skillful play.
Towards the end, Aleksandar Katai netted Red Star’s second goal to provide some consolation as City became the second English team to win all six matches in the group stage.
The single negative aspect was the attack on the supporters of the champions on Tuesday evening, resulting in their hospitalization. Thankfully, they were able to be discharged later on.
Manchester City FC has expressed concern about an assault on their fans who were traveling in Belgrade last night. They are collaborating with the local authorities to offer extra guidance and assistance to all supporters attending tonight’s game.
Despite this, Hamilton and Bobb’s evening was not ruined. In fact, the presence of five locally-developed players on the field, including Lewis, Foden, and later substitute Mahamadou Susoho, adds an extra significance to the victory for the club’s youth program.
Guardiola praised the academy for their recent success in producing talented players, noting the number of players who have moved on to the Premier League and Championship.
Source: theguardian.com
