Man City blows 3-goal lead and gets booed by fans in draw with Feyenoord in Champions League

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City’s players were booed by their own fans Tuesday after blowing a three-goal lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League to extend their winless run to six games.

Jeers rang around the Etihad Stadium after the final whistle of a dramatic 3-3 draw.

“They are disappointed. Of course we understand it,” City manager Pep Guardiola said. “They are completely right to express what they feel.”

After five-straight losses in all competitions, City looked to be cruising to victory after going three up inside 50 minutes. But Feyenoord mounted an improbable comeback and leveled the game in the 89th to leave the home crowd stunned.

While the worst losing streak of Guardiola’s managerial career was brought to an end, his wait for a first win since Oct. 26 goes on.

Erling Haaland had scored twice, with Ilkay Gundogan also on target to put City in control. But goals from Anis Hadj Moussa in the 75th, Santiago Gimenez in the 82nd and David Hancko in the 89th turned the game on its head.

According to stats supplier Opta, it was the first time in Guardiola's managerial career that his team had failed to win a game after leading 3-0. It said it was the first time City had failed to win from that position since 1989.

“We lost a lot of games lately, we are fragile and of course we need a victory," Guardiola said. “The game was good for the confidence, we were playing a good level, but the first time something happened we had problems.”

A win would have moved City up to fifth in the Champions League standings, but the draw left it 15th with three games remaining in the first phase of the competition.

The top eight teams advance to the round of 16, while teams ranked ninth to 24th go into a playoff.

City’s players, including Bernardo Silva, Josko Gvardiol and Haaland looked visibly frustrated as they left the field to cheers from the delirious traveling Dutch fans in the away section of the stadium.

“If you are 3-0 up at home you can never give it away like this. It is what it is at the moment. The only thing we can do is fight back and stay strong,” City defender Nathan Ake said.

City plays Premier League leader Liverpool on Sunday — defeat would leave it 11 points adrift of its title rival.

“We will learn for the future. It has been and will be a tough season for us and we have to accept it," said Guardiola, who had a cut on his nose during the game. He said it had been caused when he scratched it with his fingernail.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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Police and stewards form a line to separate City and Feyenoord, right, fans during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Feyenoord's David Hancko, left, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Potts/PA via AP)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, center, celebrates with Phil Foden, left, and Matheus Nunes after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland, center, celebrates with Phil Foden, left, after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Erling Haaland scores his side's third goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Feyenoord's Anis Hadj Moussa, left, and Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan battle for the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan, third right, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola takes his seat on the bench before the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol reacts after Feyenoord's Santiago Gimenez scored a goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Manchester City and Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)

MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich fans protested against Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi during the teams’ Champions League match on Tuesday.

The supporters in Bayern's stadium's Südkurve held up several banners making clear their opposition to the Qatari businessman during the first half of Bayern's 1-0 win.

One banner showed Al-Khelaifi’s face with a line over it, another accused him of being “plutocratic” with an expletive, and more banners read: “Minister, club owner, TV rights holder, UEFA ExCo member & ECA chairman all in one?”

The 51-year-old Al-Khelaifi is unpopular among the Bayern fans for his influence on European soccer as chairman of the European Club Association, Qatar Sports Investments — the owner of PSG — and the Qatari state-owned beIN media group. He also joined UEFA’s executive committee in 2019.

Al-Khelaifi has long drawn scrutiny for apparent conflicts of interest because of his various roles. The ECA has a big influence on shaping the Champions League's playing format and commercial strategy, while beIN is one of the competition's major broadcast partners.

In 2022, UEFA left Al-Khelaifi unpunished despite finding PSG guilty of misconduct for confrontations with match officials after losing in the Champions League. There were heated scenes involving Al-Khelaifi and then-PSG sporting director Leonardo after a defeat to Real Madrid. UEFA sanctioned Leonardo but did not cite Al-Khelaifi in its disciplinary statement, nor did it say why.

Al-Khelaifi, a former tennis professional, is a longtime friend of Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, an International Olympic Committee member who is influential in global sports.

Bayern fans had long protested against their own club’s sponsorship deals with Qatar, which was accused of human rights abuses before it hosted the 2022 World Cup. The fans eventually got their way last year when Bayern’s long-running sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways was not renewed.

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper reported at the time that the decision came from Qatar. Sheikh Tamim was reportedly unhappy with the Bayern fans’ constant criticism and the club’s failure to distance itself from their protests.

Kim Min-jae’s first-half header was enough for Bayern's victory, its seventh straight without conceding across all competitions. PSG forward Ousmane Dembelé was sent off early in the second half.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

PSG's Bradley Barcola heads the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between FC Bayern and Paris Saint Germain, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024.(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Munich fans hold up a banner against Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President of Paris Saint-Germain during the soccer match between FC Bayern and Paris Saint Germain, at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (Tom Weller/dpa via AP)