Well that’s pretty much that. Unless Basle have something extraordinary up their sleeves, they might as well not bother turning up for the second leg at the Etihad in three weeks’ time.
The last 16 of the Champions League is meant to be when the serious business gets underway, but those who witnessed yet another Manchester City masterclass at St-Jakob Park on Tuesday night wouldn’t have known it.
The Premier League leaders became the first English side to score three goals in the first half of a Champions League tie, and they managed it inside 24 minutes.
Ilkay Gundogan scored twice as Manchester City thrashed Basle 4-0 in the first-leg of their last-16 Champions League tie
The Germany international scored City’s fourth in brilliant fashion, curling the ball into the corner of the net on 53 minutes
The 27-year-old midfielder snapped curling the ball home into the corner as Basle players desperately try to block his effort
Tomás Vaclik desperately dives to his left to try and save Gundogan’s effort but can’t get anywhere near the ball
Sergio Aguero put the game beyond doubt in the 23rd minute after emphatically firing City 3-0 ahead
Kevin De Bruyne embraces Aguero after the striker dispatched City’s third goal of the evening on Tuesday
The Argentine striker fired home the visitors third into the bottom corner from outside the area to put City well in command
It was a night to forget for Basle goalkeeper Vaclik after letting in four goals during the first-leg of the last-16 tie
PLAYER RATINGS AND MATCH ZONE…
BASLE (3-4-3): Vaclik 4.5; Xhaka 5.5, Lacroix 6.5, Suchy 6; Lang, Frei 5, Die 6, Riveros 5.5; Stocker 6 (Ajeti 71), Oberlin 5, Elyounoussi 5.5 (Bua 85).
Subs: Salvi, Zuffi, Van Wolfswinkel, Manzambi, Petretta.
Booked: Xhaka, Die
Manager: Raphael Wicky 5
MAN CITY (4-3-3): Ederson 6.5; Walker 7, Kompany 7, Otamendi 6.5, Delph 7; De Bruyne 7 (D Silva 63, 6.5), Fernandinho 7, Gundogan 8; B Silva 7.5, Aguero 7 (Danilo 86), Sterling 6.5 (Sane 57, 6.5).
Subs: Bravo, Stones, Laporte, Foden.
Scorers: Gundogan 14, 54, B Silva, Aguero 23
Booked: Fernandinho, Gundogan
Manager: Pep Guardiola 8
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (Sweden) 7
Star man: Ilkay Gundogan
This is how Bernardo Silva put Manchester City 2-0 ahead in the 18th minute on Tuesday night. CLICK HERE to find out more from our MATCH ZONE.
Never mind a second leg, City didn’t even need a second half to effectively clinch their place in the quarter-finals.
Maybe we were expecting too much from a Basle side that had beaten Manchester United in a group game here in November.
They are, after all, the weakest side left in the last 16 and one that is not even top of the Swiss League.
But credit to City. They were totally dominant on a freezing night in Switzerland when for once you could understand footballers wearing gloves, showing again why they should considered among the favourites for the Champions League this season.
They will have to produce a monumental effort to win all four trophies in their sights, but this was a very straightforward step on the path to greatness.
Guardiola put Fabian Delph straight back into his starting line-up at left-back despite being out of action for a month with a knee injury, while Leroy Sane’s remarkable recovery from damaged ankle ligaments earned him a place on the City bench alongside David Silva.
Leroy Sane came on as a 56th minute substitute for the visitors after quickly recovering from ankle ligament damage
City captain Vincent Kompany battles for the ball in the air with Basle’s 20-year-old forward Dimitri Oberlin
Bernardo Silva doubled high-flying City’s lead in just the 18th minute after firing home a fierce left-footed strike
The 23-year-old finished off a brilliant counter-attack after receiving a cross from England international Raheem Sterling
Midfielder Silva pictured firing his fine effort into the top corner past Basle shot-stopper Vaclik
Vincent Kompany also returned in central defence ahead of John Stones and Aymeric Laporte to lead the team on his first Champions League appearance in almost two years.
Kompany had spoken so confidently about City’s chances in this competition on the eve of the game, and they came into the tie as clear favourites against a team that had never progressed beyond the last 16.
That doesn’t always count for much on these occasions, but Guardiola’s side demonstrated why in quite brutal fashion.
City put the hosts under immediate pressure and there were less than two minutes on the clock when Ilkay Gundogan forced Tomas Vaclik into a fine fingertip save from Bernardo Silva’s cross. It went downhill for the Basle goalkeeper after that.
Not before the Swiss had a chance to alter the course of this match as Dimitri Oberlin failed to get enough on his attempt past Ederson when one-on-one with the City keeper.
If Oberlin’s finishing lacked conviction, City’s was utterly ruthless as they struck three times in the space of 10 minutes.
No sooner had Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson waved away Basle’s penalty claims for a body check by Nicolas Otamendi on Oberlin than the Premier League leaders went up the other end to force a corner.
Gundogan opened the scoring for the Premier League leaders in the 23rd minute with a clever near-post header
Germany midfielder Gundogan is mobbed by his City team-mates after putting them ahead early on
City, who are 16 points clear in the English top flight, were rampant during the week against the Swiss outfit
Kevin De Bruyne added yet another assist to his collection this season as he crossed to the near post where Gundogan stole a yard on Fabian Frei to glance a header past Vaclik.
City’s second goal wasn’t long in coming. De Bruyne set Raheem Sterling away down the left and his cross took a slight nick off a Basle defender on its way through to Bernardo Silva on the far side.
The Portugal international controlled it on his chest and despatched a dipping volley that Vaclik tried to turn over the bar with one hand but merely helped the ball on its way into the net.
Sergio Aguero then struck into the 23rd minute to all but end this tie as a contest. It began with a surging run by Fernandinho who was stopped in his tracks by a tackle from Leo Lacroix 20 yards from goal.
Nobody had bothered to pick up Aguero, of all people, and the man who scored four goals against Leicester had another in his sights. He guided the ball effortlessly inside the post with Vaclik rooted to the spot.
The deflated silence that met the half-time whistle said everything about City’s dominance of this tie.
The travelling supporters had a night to remember on Tuesday, seeing their side ease to victory at St Jakob-Park
Aguero battles for the ball with Granit Xhaka’s brother, Taulant, during the opening stages of the first-leg on Tuesday
De Bruyne went close either wide of the interval but the fourth goal arrived in the 54th minute as Gundogan claimed his second of the night.
The ball reached him on the edge of the box courtesy of Aguero and the German almost nonchalantly curled a shot beyond Vaclik into the far corner.
As his players celebrated again, Guardiola prepared to bring on Sane and then David Silva. The resources at his disposal really are quite daunting.
Only a rare save from Vaclik denied Gundogan his hat-trick, and he was booked for reacting angrily to a late foul by Geoffroy Serey Die.
Basle had a couple of half chances to reduce the deficit as Ederson turned a snap shot from Mohamed Elyounoussi around the post, and Oberlin fired another opportunity wide of the far post.
But their trip to Manchester next month is now a formality.
Midfield master De Bruyne in action during the first couple of minutes against the Swiss outfit at St Jakob-Park
Pep Guardiola gives instructions to his players as his side gained a huge advantage on a cold night in Switzerland