'I want to harm myself': Guardiola’s facial injuries fuel social media frenzy after City held to draw in dramatic UCL clash with Feyenoord

Pep Guardiola (Pic: AFP)

Pep Guardiola endured a painful night as his Manchester City side squandered a commanding 3-0 lead against Feyenoord. The reigning Premier League champions were left shell-shocked at the Etihad Stadium after a dramatic collapse in the final 15 minutes.

The Dutch side capitalised on a defensive error, with Anis Hadj Moussa seizing on a mistake by Josko Gvardiol to score their first goal. Substitute Santiago Gimenez then chested in the equalizer with just eight minutes remaining, before David Hancko completed the stunning turnaround in the 89th minute.

This latest setback means City have now gone six matches without a win, leaving Guardiola visibly frustrated. To add insult to injury, the jubilant Feyenoord fans taunted him with chants associated with their former manager, Arne Slot, who now oversees Liverpool.

As Hancko's late equalizer rang out, the away end erupted into a rendition of Liverpool's iconic anthem, "You'll never walk alone," further rubbing salt into City's wounds ahead of their daunting trip to Anfield on Sunday.

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Feyenoord manager Arne Slot was lauded by his successor, Brian Priske, who expressed pride in their performance. The Danish coach, who has taken over at Feyenoord, was eager to show his respect for Slot's legacy.

"I'm sure he's proud. As an ex-Feyenoord manager, I'm sure he's following [results], I know that. We've definitely done everything we could to help him as well. He had a massive impact on the club over the last three years," said Priske. "He definitely gave me a good start as well, with a good team and Champions League qualification. So I'm really happy that, hopefully, we can help him a bit, and he needs to do the dirty job at the weekend."

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Reflecting on Feyenoord's remarkable comeback, Priske continued, "If you are from Feyenoord Rotterdam, it is an unbelievable evening, 3-0 down away from home against, for me, still the best team in the world. Obviously, you always believe, but it was a difficult game. The first 25 minutes, they played fast football, we were not as tight as we wanted, ended up too low. At 3-0 down, you definitely think this is going to be a long night, a tough evening. But without any tactical [changes], just individual quality, moments, gave us the draw. The players stayed in the game, kept pushing and kept believing. I can only praise them."

Meanwhile, Guardiola appeared battered and bruised during his post-match interviews, with noticeable cuts and marks on his face and head. When asked about the injuries, he revealed they were self-inflicted: "My finger, here [points to nose]. My nail. I want to harm myself."