Sergio Aguero scored his second hat-trick of the season as Manchester City overpowered Borussia Monchengladbach 4-0 in their delayed Champions League Group C opener.
Kelechi Iheanacho also got on the scoresheet late on as City made up for lost time after torrential rain washed out the first attempt to play the fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Aguero, who is currently suspended from domestic action, opened the scoring after nine minutes, added a second from the spot and completed his treble on 77 minutes before Iheanacho added a late fourth.
Tweet of the Match
"PLS ANNOUNCE RAIN" - Borussia's Twitter account got in touch with City with a cheeky mid-match request.
Star Man: Sergio Aguero
That man again. Aguero may have paid the price for his recent indiscretion against West Ham's Winston Reid in the form of a three-match ban, but he seized the chance to make some amends with another hat-trick. The Argentinian has now scored nine goals in just five appearances this season. That's some strike rate, even for him.
In the crowd
Unsurprisingly a good number of the 1,600 Borussia fans who travelled over expecting to see a game on Tuesday were unable to stay, but a decent chunk of them did return to the Etihad for the rearranged fixture. They were a credit to their club and made themselves heard throughout, even when their side were under the cosh. The Borussia players rightly applauded their commitment while sport director Max Eberl drafted a 'joke' absence note for them to hand to employers.
Surprise of the match
City fans had been eagerly anticipating Ilkay Gundogan's debut but most in the stadium had to be surprised by just how will it went. The German was called into the starting XI at short notice for his first appearance since suffering a knee injury in April and immediately slotted in. He showed no signs of rustiness and looked a shrewd signing. He was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.
Match Ratings
Manchester City
Claudio Bravo 6 (Out of 10)
Pablo Zabaleta 6
John Stones 7
Nicolas Otamendi 7
Aleksandar Kolarov 7
Fernandinho 7
Jesus Navas 7
Kevin De Bruyne 8
Ilkay Gundogan 8
Raheem Sterling 7
Sergio Aguero 9
Substitutes
Leroy Sane (for Sterling) 6
Gael Clichy (for Gundogan) 6
Kelechi Iheanacho (for Aguero) 7
Who's up next?
Manchester City v Bournemouth (Premier League, September 17)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (Bundesliga, September 17)
Source: PA-WIRE
