Manchester City bagged a 2-0 victory against Villarreal in their third match of the 2025/26 Champions League on October 21 at Estadi de la Ceramica.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring for Man City from an assist by Rico Lewis in the 17th minute.
Bernardo Silva, then, found the back of the net with a stunning header after being set up by Savinho in the 40th minute.
Speaking after the win, Man City head coach Pep Guardiola expressed being ‘satisfied’ with his squad’s display against the La Liga side and said,
“We played well, very well, especially in the first half. We dominated in ball control and kept the opponent under pressure. In the 20 minutes of the second half, Villarreal played more actively, but overall, the situation is good,” as per Metro.
“We scored at the right time so the result is satisfactory. I’m in a good mood, I’m satisfied with everything.”
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Guardiola also heaped praise on one of Villarreal’s players, Nicolas Pepe, referring to the former Arsenal winger as ‘a dangerous player.’
What did Man City boss Guardiola say about the former Arsenal star?
Pepe signed for Arsenal from Ligue 1 club Lille in 2019 for a then club-record fee of €80 million (£72 million).
In August 2022, the 30-year-old was loaned to Nice for the remainder of the season without an option to buy, followed by a permanent move to Super Lig side Trabzonspor in September 2023 on a free transfer with one year left on his contract at the Gunners.
During his time at the Emirates, Pepe recorded a total of 27 goals and 21 assists in 112 appearances for Arsenal.
Last year, Pepe joined Villarreal on a two-year deal and was recently named La Liga’s Player of the Month for August.
Guardiola shared his thoughts on Pepe’s efforts on the pitch against his squad on Tuesday, recalling the Gunners’ hefty bid for the winger, and said,
“Ah, he’s really good. It was a long time ago when he was playing at Arsenal and I’m happy that he’s playing here [at Villarreal].”
“I’m pretty sure when Arsenal paid the amount of money they paid it’s because he’s a really good player, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened. He’s a dangerous player in the final third, one-vs-one.”
With two victories in three of their Champions League games, Guardiola & Co. are set to return to Premier League action with their match against Aston Villa on October 26 at Villa Park.
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