By SCM Sports Writer
MANCHESTER – Manchester City’s youngsters delivered a stunning six-goal masterclass yesterday, as they tore apart Bayer Leverkusen U19s in the UEFA Youth League at their state-of-the-art Academy Stadium – proving the future is blisteringly bright in the blue half of Manchester.
The phenomenal display, which ended 6-0 to the Young Cityzens, was a spectacle that suggests the club’s famed £200 million Etihad Campus is once again churning out superstars ready to step onto the big stage.
While the sprawling main Etihad Stadium gets all the glory, it was the neighbouring 7,000-seater Academy Stadium – affectionately known as the ‘Mini-Etihad’ – that was shaking to the thunder of goals, reaffirming its status as a fortress for City’s next generation.
The German visitors held firm until the break, but a ruthless second-half surge saw the floodgates burst open.
It was Heskey who finally shattered the deadlock, firing home in the 49th minute. But the real star of the show emerged eight minutes later.
Academy ace Mukasa took control, smashing home his first in the 57th minute. He followed up quickly in the 67th minute before completing his sensational hat-trick just five minutes from time (85′).
In between Mukasa’s heroics, Samba got in on the action, scoring a powerful goal in the 70th minute to cap off a dominant performance on home turf at the Campus.
The sheer scale of the defeat will be a bitter pill for the Leverkusen boys, but for City’s youth setup, it was a proud day on the hallowed turf of the Academy Stadium, a venue built precisely to prepare these future champions for nights like these. The City machine marches on!
