Pep Guardiola did not realise it before Tuesday night but Micah Hamilton had helped the Manchester City first team before.
Back when he was a 13-year-old — and six years before his first-team debut here in Belgrade — the forward was a ballboy at the Etihad. A picture surfaced of that very game in 2017, against Crystal Palace, of Guardiola with his arm around the youngster, asking him to do everything in his power to help City to inject some pace into the game. When presented with the image after the 3-2 win, Guardiola smiled but had no recollection of the moment.
But after the Mancunian teenager scored the opener and won the penalty for City’s third against Red Star Belgrade, he had certainly left more of a mark on Guardiola this time around.
“Wow. What a goal, eh? And what a game. I’m so happy for him,” Guardiola said. “He’s training quite often with us. We saw his skills up front one-v-one and he made a fantastic goal and penalty. Defensively he was aggressive.”
The 20-year-old was the biggest surprise on a teamsheet featuring nine changes, with City already having qualified for the round of 16 as group winners. And while there was a rare start for Kalvin Phillips and more minutes for the summer signing Matheus Nunes, it was the club’s teenage academy stars who stole the show, with Oscar Bobb getting on the scoresheet and picking up the man of the match award.
Injury has meant that Hamilton had been forced to wait until this season to be involved with the first-team squad, but here he was given the platform to show the talent that his academy coaches have been raving about.
When the ball came to him with 19 minutes on the clock it was his first chance to shine and he did not disappoint. Those who have watched him have spoken about his ability to eliminate players in one-on-one situations and that is exactly what he did. Nunes fed the ball to his right and Hamilton darted into the box, shifting one way then another past the Red Star defenders before firing in from a tight angle at the near post.
There was no doubting his confidence as he powered forward, cut inside and forced a save from Oliver Glazer a few minutes later.
This could have been a fixture that was all about Phillips, making his second start of the season, or Nunes, who is looking to find a more regular place in Guardiola’s XI after his summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, but instead it was a night that belonged to the young star who has come through from City’s academy.
It was another assured performance from Rico Lewis, this time switched to left back, but it was Bobb and Hamilton who lit up the big, and supposedly intimidating, stage in Belgrade. Hamilton turned provider just before the break and Bobb was inches away from doubling their lead.
Both 20-year-olds were playing without fear. Bobb picked up the ball, drove into the box, dribbled past three players and fired into the far bottom corner for City’s second. There have been some doubts about the opportunities presented to academy players by Guardiola but this was a performance won by those whose early careers have been crafted on the pitches at the City Academy Stadium. As the game entered the final 15 minutes, Mahamadou Susoho was brought on for his debut, making it five academy graduates on the pitch.
The hosts created chances and Stefan Ortega was called into action to block a volley from Cherif Ndiaye before palming away an effort from outside of the box from Guelor Kanga before Hwang In-beom pulled one back in the 76th minute.
City, though, were always in control and when Hamilton was brought down in the area it was over to another unlikely hero to register City’s third. Phil Foden had the ball but Guardiola appeared to order him to hand it over to Phillips, who fired in from the spot for his first goal for the club.
Aleksandar Katai scored from a corner in stoppage time to ensure that it was a night to remember for Red Star’s home fans too, but after running out 3-2 winners and preserving their 100 per cent win record in group G it was job done for Guardiola, thanks to a couple of unlikely heroes.
Red Star Belgrade (4-3-3) O Glazer 7 – K Nedeljkovic 5 (U Kabic 78min), N Djiga 6, U Spajic 6 (M Rodic 65), A Dragovic 6 – G Kanga 5 (A Katai 57), S Mijailovic 5, Hwang In-beom 6 – O Bukari 6, C Ndiaye 6 (J Mijatovic 57, 6), P Olayinka 6 (V Lucic 57). Booked Spajic, Mijailovic, Diga.
Man City (4-2-3-1) S Ortega 7 – R Lewis 7, J Stones 7 (N Ake 86), M Akanji 7, S Gómez 6 – K Phillips 6, M Kovacic 6 (M Susoho 76) – M Nunes 6 (B Silva 83), O Bobb 8, J Grealish 7 (P Foden 45, 7) – M Hamilton 9. Booked Phillips.
Referee AAghayev.
