It can be easy to forget that some aspects of the UEFA Champions League fanfare mean as much to the players as the fans.
Jack Grealish reminded us of this when asked about his first-ever appearance in the tournament, a starring role in Manchester City’s 6-3 defeat of RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium.
[ MORE: Three things we learned from Man City vs Leipzig ]
“With the music and everything, it was so nice,” Grealish gushed. “I loved it. I’ve been waiting a while. The past few weeks, I couldn’t wait for this game. It’s a great night.”
Also nice, Grealish. The longtime Aston Villa man assisted Nathan Ake’s opener with a corner kick and later scored a beautiful goal, much to the chagrin of USMNT man Tyler Adams.
Grealish drove towards Adams and then cut inside when the American showed him the way, spinning a vicious shot past Peter Gulacsi.
He was ready for the occasion.
“The ball came to me and when I’m in that position, running into the area I’d back myself one on one against anyone to have a go and it paid off. I had a few in the first half that were blocked.”
City stays home for Southampton in Premier League play and Wycombe in the League Cup before back-to-back trips to Chelsea and PSG.
