Man City equal best unbeaten run in Champions League

This Manchester City side is a team for the ages. The Champions League winners in 2023 and semi-finalists in 2024 have equalled one of those records that nobody thought possible: the most matches in a row without defeat in Europe's top competition.

With the win over Slovan Bratislava, Pep Guardiola's side reached 25 consecutive matches without defeat in the Champions League. And that was more than two years ago.

Real Madrid were the last team to beat the Sky Blues. It was in the semi-finals of the Champions League 2021-22, when after Manchester City's 4-3 win at the Etihad, 'Los Blancos' came from behind to win 3-1 at the Bernabeu with Rodrygo's brace and Benzema's late goal.

Since then, Manchester City have only accumulated wins (17) and draws (8), even when Real Madrid eliminated them last term, as in both matches, the game ended in a draw.

Equalling Man Utd's feat

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have equalled the 25 consecutive wins Manchester United had between 2007 and 2009, with Sir Alex Ferguson on the bench and players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Rio Ferdinand, among others.

That spectacular run of form for the Red Devils began on the first day of the group stage of the 2007-08 season, with a 1-0 win over Sporting CP, and ended in the final of the 2008-09 Champions League, when they lost to Barcelona.

Behind them were Bayern Munich, who went 19 games unbeaten between the group stage of the 2019-20 season, when they won the title, and the quarter-finals of the 2021-22 season, when they lost to PSG at home; and Ajax, who began their run in 1994, with the Champions League virtually unbeaten, and lost in the 1995-96 semi-finals to Panathinaikos, a tie they would go on to overturn.

Currently, the team that trails Manchester City in unbeaten Champions League matches is Real Madrid, who have 14 matches so far.

 

October 2, 2024