Newcastle United knelt before a king. A king joking with his coach after the match. After the brilliance and class on his return to the Premier League, Kevin De Bruyne had a wonderful moment with Pep Guardiola. A push, clenched fists, but above all: a heartfelt hug. The City manager added a joke in his press moment.
I WAIT. Guardiola and De Bruyne joke with each other
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His coach approached him. Because what else had De Bruyne done, upon returning to the Premier League after five months of absence? He produced wonderful images. Pep Guardiola gave a push to “KDB” and clenched his fists with a loud shout before falling into the arms of his great trendsetter. ‘KDB’ accepted with a wall-to-wall smile and was complimented by Pep. Along the lines of: “What have you done now?”
These are images that go viral on social media. City fans and fans of the game tout court are over the moon about De Bruyne’s return. That hug between coach and champion still warms hearts a little.
“But I’m so angry and grumpy with De Bruyne,” Guardiola quipped afterwards. A joke after the big farewell. “His first touch was a free kick, but he didn’t score… No seriously. When Kevin catches the ball and has people running around him, he is truly unique.”
©Reuters
Some of De Bruyne’s goals are works of art. Even some assists from him.
There is a severe scar on the back of his thigh that will forever remind him of that hamstring surgery. Yet Dr. Geert Declercq didn’t cut the genius out last summer.
The right-handed brush at Newcastle on Saturday night was one for the museum. Where you can also hang a selection of those other 170 goals and hundreds of assists.
I WAIT. Wonderful equalizer from Kevin De Bruyne
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Football had the right weight, the right direction. A sneaky ball into the far corner where an opponent was actually expecting a left-handed shot.
A thing of beauty. The master has returned. He underlined this with a second strike: a fantastic pass for the winner to Oscar Bobb in the final minutes.
I WAIT. Fantastic assist from De Bruyne at 2-3
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De Bruyne fell to his knees. During his return to the FA Cup last weekend, he immediately scored an assist. But his return to the Premier League was something he could never have imagined. He shouted.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke about it. The Premier League trembles and trembles now that De Bruyne is back. In Newcastle they could feel it, the players could feel it, millions of viewers could see it. De Bruyne is fit, De Bruyne is courageous, De Bruyne divides, De Bruyne saves City. De Bruyne 2.0 looks a lot like De Bruyne 1.0 except for the hair. As if the hamstring had never snapped.
In the end City deservedly won the three points at Newcastle. A 2-1 deficit was recovered with the help of “King Kev”. Although the substitute arrived just after the hour mark, a few minutes later than expected, he had to stay by Guardiola’s side for a few minutes until the ball rolled and he was finally allowed onto the pitch.
De Bruyne relegated the 70 minutes preceding his contribution to note. Shame about that wonderful back-heel goal from Bernardo Silva and the great resistance of the Magpies. The other Red Devil, Jérémy Doku, did not reach his best level.
The last word goes to the Instagram post of Erling Haaland, Manchester City’s injured top scorer. The crown on De Bruyne’s head says it all.
Haaland also appreciated “King” De Bruyne, as a look at her Instagram stories shows. ©AFP/Rv
De Bruyne: “I can’t stand 90 minutes”
“I missed it, but it is what it is,” De Bruyne said afterwards. “I had a serious injury so I needed time, but I enjoyed it. Coming back had more to do with willpower than anything else, really madness to be honest. I know I can’t handle ninety minutes right now, but I can handle half an hour. I can feel it in my lungs, especially with the cold now.”
At 32, De Bruyne is on the bench for the first time in his career, and he is not used to it: “I don’t know what to expect, because I’ve never experienced it before. I work very hard and I had to change some things, but when you are used to playing always and everywhere, it is difficult to adapt.”
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The injury was a hard blow: “At first it’s a sour pill, but I’m not one to sit still. I had fun doing things I never would have been able to do otherwise. Obviously I had to work hard to get back.” Now he still has to find his race rhythm, but he seems to be in good shape: “I hope so. I will continue to work hard to regain focus.”
He certainly looked strong and had an immediate impact: “That goal was nice and so was my assist. The cross was nice, but Oscar’s (Bobb) effort was great, really great. I’ve been keeping an eye on his running action, because if he doesn’t snap there, I’ll never be able to give him that ball.”
It remained emotional until the end: “Newcastle is always a difficult away match, but we want to become champions again. Now we’re back at the top.”
De Bruyne’s replacement in numbers:
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90’+4′
End of the second half
90’+1′
2-3 GOAL by Oscar Bobb!
And he’s back! Kevin De Bruyne orchestrates Manchester City’s comeback with an assist in addition to his goal. Oscar Bobb still had work to do when he was put in goal. The Norwegian talent beats Dúbravka with a croqueta, which he can’t believe he gave away in the last minute of the match.
©Reuters
85′
Newcastle United under pressure
De Bruyne delivers crosses and City push Newcastle against the byline. Will the Magpies be able to restart with a counterattack or will they still bow out at the end of the match?
86′
Anthony Gordon is replaced by Lewis Hall
82′
Jéremy Doku is replaced by Oscar Bobb
74′
GOAL 2-2 by Kevin De Bruyne!
The Red Devil manages to outsmart Martin Dúbravka. He slides the ball into the bottom left corner with feeling. What a luxury to be able to remove Kevin De Bruyne from the bench to correct such a crooked situation! The equalizer!
©Reuters
72′
The city accelerates
Opportunity after opportunity now at St. James’ Park. City increase the pressure and push Newcastle against the rearguard.
69′
Bernardo Silva is replaced by Kevin De Bruyne
Our compatriot was immediately allowed to block a free kick from 17 metres. His kick ends up against the Newcastle wall.
67′
Kovačić with a deflected ball
Dúbravka is a good goalkeeper, but the balls he has to catch now are not impossible. This time there was more venom in the attempt. Mateo Kovačić’s shot deflects, but not enough to fool the goalkeeper.
60′
Alvarez from the spot
No penalty called, but the Argentine can shoot from eleven metres. He also aims too centrally and the Slovakian between the posts defends Newcastle’s lead.
55′
Foden from the second zone
City are looking for an equaliser, but so far in the second half they have not created any great scoring opportunities. Foden tries, but his shot is too soft and central.
55′
Yellow card for Bernardo Silva
52′
Dúbravka takes a free kick from the square
Julian Alvarez takes a free kick into the near corner, but the Slovakian goalkeeper is alert.
45′
The second half has started
45’+9′
End of the first half
45+7′
Doku with the threat
Jérémy Doku dribbles into the box, but fails to create a goal threat. He can’t get anything but a corner kick.
45’+5′
Yellow card for Rodri
37′
2-1 GOAL by Anthony Gordon!
Two minutes, that’s how long Newcastle need to turn this unbalanced situation around. Two quick counterattacks result in two goals and Manchester City can get back to business.
©Reuters
35′
1-1 GOAL by Alexander Isak!
After a quick counterattack, Isak attacks Kyle Walker alone. He pretends to shoot into the farthest square. What a beautiful goal!
©Reuters
35′
1-1 GOAL by Alexander Isak!
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2024-01-13 23:03:28
#WAIT #wonderful #moment #Guardiola #Bruynes #mockery #latters #masterclass #Sport