Foden Scores Three as Man City Beats AEK Athens 5-1

Phil Foden scored a hat-trick to mark his return to form as Manchester City thrashed AEK Athens 5-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday.

After struggling for the last two seasons, Foden gave fans hope with a great performance at the Etihad Stadium.

The 26-year-old has opened up about his mental health challenges and hadn’t scored for 10 months before finding the net in Saturday’s win against Ipswich.

Foden, who many see as one of England’s best talents, missed out on the World Cup squad earlier this year, showing how far he has fallen.

After ending a goal drought in the Champions League that lasted since November 2025, Foden needs to keep performing like this to fully bounce back.

Elliot Anderson scored first for City early on, marking his first goal for the team since joining from Nottingham Forest in the summer.

Foden added another goal before halftime. Although Stavros Pilios scored for the Greek side in the second half, City finished strong.

Rayan Cherki scored City’s third goal in a flashy manner, and Foden netted two more to complete his hat-trick.

This was City’s second victory in the league phase after beating Porto in their opening match and losing to Paris Saint-Germain last week.

City’s future is uncertain as they await the result of their appeal against a verdict that found them guilty of over 100 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.

Reports suggest a big points deduction for City, which could likely send them down to a lower league. This season’s Champions League run might be their last for a while.

Coach Enzo Maresca and his team seem unaffected by the ongoing scandal, while fans continue to support the Abu Dhabi-owned club.

They have won 10 out of 11 matches in all competitions this season, and even without star striker Erling Haaland, they keep performing well.

Haaland started on the bench after picking up a foot injury during the Ipswich game where he scored twice.

Maresca made eight changes from the Ipswich match, with 17-year-old academy player Floyd Samba showing his skills on the pitch.

City took just 12 minutes to score the opening goal.

Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick hit the bar, and Anderson was quick to react, putting the ball into the empty net from 10 yards.

Foden doubled the lead in the 34th minute after a beautiful team move.

Foden and Rico Lewis exchanged quick passes, slicing through AEK’s defense before Foden fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

After such a dominant first half, City lost their focus, allowing Pilios to score their first shot on target in the 52nd minute.

City quickly restored their two-goal lead in the 57th minute.

Foden found Cherki on the edge of the area, who made a lovely turn to create space and scored with style.

In the 65th minute, Cherki’s long ball was headed down by Lewis. Foden then struck beautifully into the top corner from 18 yards.

Foden capped his night off with a perfectly-timed run to tap in Ryan McAidoo’s cross in the 76th minute, marking his first hat-trick in over two years.