Foden excited to play under Maresca following Man City renewal

Manchester City cruised to a 5-1 victory over AEK in a one-sided affair where the English champions flaunted their attacking prowess, spearheaded by a clinical Phil Foden hat-trick. Elliot Anderson and Rayan Cherki also etched their names onto the scoresheet in a commanding display, while Stavro Pilo provided the solitary consolation for the Greek visitors.

 Manchester City: Setting the tempo from the opening whistle, the hosts broke the deadlock after 12 minutes when Elliot Anderson reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the penalty area to slot home. City's relentless pressure told once more in the 34th minute, with Phil Foden doubling the advantage courtesy of a fine delivery from Rico Lewis. AEK briefly threatened an upset when Stavro Pilo struck in the 52nd minute, but City's response was ruthless. Just five minutes later, Rayan Cherki restored the two-goal cushion with an emphatic finish following clever work from Foden. The England playmaker was far from finished; in the 65th minute, he met another pinpoint Rico Lewis pass with a sweet first-time strike, before putting the seal on a dazzling hat-trick in the 76th minute after being teed up by Ryan McAidoo to wrap up the 5-1 rout. 

 AEK Athens: The visitors found themselves starved of possession and overwhelmed by Manchester City's sheer firepower during a punishing first half, heading into the break trailing by two. However, Stavro Pilo handed them a lifeline shortly after the restart, halving the deficit in the 52nd minute to briefly silence the home crowd. Any ambitions of an improbable fightback were swiftly extinguished as the English side hit back with devastating precision. AEK continued to search for answers in the closing stages with speculative long-range efforts from Mijat Gacinovic and Milan Vitalis, but to no avail, as the contest drew to a close with a thoroughly deserved 5-1 triumph for Manchester City.