Foden hat-trick as Man City beat AEK Athens 5-1 in Champions League

Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 in the UEFA Champions League league phase on Tuesday, with Phil Foden scoring a hat-trick.

City took the lead in the 12th minute through Ethan Anderson. Reports differ on the scorer's first name: Leadership called him Ethan Anderson, while PM News called him Elliot Anderson. Both agreed he scored the opener.

Foden made it 2-0 in the 34th minute, finishing a pass from Rico Lewis. City went into half-time with that two-goal cushion.

AEK Athens pulled one back seven minutes after the restart. The sources spell the scorer differently: Leadership named him S. Pilios, PM News called him Stavro Pilo. Both put the goal at 52 minutes, making it 2-1.

City answered quickly. Rayan Cherki restored the two-goal lead in the 57th minute, finishing a move set up by Foden.

Foden takes over

Foden scored his second of the night in the 65th minute, again from a Lewis pass, to make it 4-1. Lewis finished with two assists.

Foden completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, converting a pass from R. McAidoo, named by PM News as Ryan McAidoo.

PM News reported that City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma dealt with AEK's late attempts to find another goal, and that City controlled possession in the closing stages.

The win gives City a convincing result in the league phase and underlines their attacking depth. For AEK Athens, the defeat showed how hard it is to contain City's movement and finishing over 90 minutes.

Nigerian fans who follow the Champions League will see the result reflected in the league-phase table, which shapes who advances and who faces a playoff route.

What happens next

Both clubs continue their league-phase campaigns in their next European fixtures. City carry momentum from a four-goal win; AEK must regroup after conceding five.