Erling Haaland brought an end to his scoring drought as Manchester City secured a 2-0 victory over Galatasaray to book their place in the Champions League last 16.
The Norwegian striker netted his first open-play goal in 10 matches, while Rayan Cherki added a second before the break at the Etihad Stadium, giving Pep Guardiola’s side a comfortable evening against the Turkish visitors.
The win, combined with results elsewhere, saw the 2023 champions finish eighth in the league phase standings, allowing them to avoid the play-off round that eliminated them last season.
City players and supporters endured a tense wait after full-time, but confirmation of Real Madrid’s defeat at Benfica ensured their direct qualification.
City’s only concern on the night was an injury to Jérémy Doku. The winger was outstanding early on, supplying both goals during a blistering opening spell, before limping off to add to Guardiola’s growing injury list.
Nevertheless, City will welcome the reduced schedule as they continue to compete across four competitions.
Galatasaray’s passionate travelling supporters, who had filled the city centre throughout the day and marched to the stadium amid fireworks, were largely subdued by the final whistle.
The visitors, featuring former City players Ilkay Gündogan and Leroy Sané, took some comfort in finishing inside the top 24.
City began on the front foot and nearly struck inside three minutes when Rayan Aït-Nouri delivered a cross to a free Haaland, whose header drifted wide. The striker made amends soon after.
On 10 minutes, Doku burst through the defence and threaded a precise pass for Haaland, who outpaced Abdülkerim Bardakci before delicately chipping goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakir.
City pushed for a second, with Çakir tipping over a fierce effort from Nico O’Reilly, before Cherki doubled the advantage on 29 minutes. Doku once again caused havoc, weaving into the box and cutting the ball back for Cherki to control and fire home.
Moments later, Doku’s evening ended prematurely as he picked up a knock and was forced off, following recent heavy challenges in domestic matches.
Galatasaray struggled to threaten before the interval, aside from a tame effort from Victor Osimhen, but showed more intent after the restart in a half briefly halted by Kurdish protesters.
Osimhen remained their most dangerous outlet, testing Gianluigi Donnarumma with a header and later drawing a save with a first-time strike. At the other end, Omar Marmoush found space but slipped as he prepared to shoot.
The tempo slowed following a lengthy stoppage after a clash of heads between Tijjani Reijnders and Davinson Sánchez, both of whom continued with bandages.
City comfortably saw out the closing stages to confirm victory and progression, sealing qualification without the need for an additional play-off round.
