UCL: Aguero stars as City begin in style; Real pip Sporting | Pix, video
London: Manchester City's Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as coach Pep Guardiola maintained his 100 percent record at the club with a commanding 4-0 victory against Borussia Moenchengladbach in their rearranged Champions League Group C opener on Wednesday.
City immediately took control of the game, which was postponed on Tuesday due to heavy rain, and Aguero gave them the lead in the eighth minute when he lifted a cross from Aleksandar Kolarov high into the Moenchengladbach net.
The Argentina striker doubled the home side's lead in the 28th minute when he sent Moenchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer the wrong way from the penalty spot after Christoph Kramer had clumsily brought down Ilkay Gundogan, making his debut in place of David Silva who was rested as a precaution after developing a minor injury in training.
Aguero completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute from close range after being set clear by Raheem Sterling and Kelechi Iheanacho made it 4-0 in stoppage time.
The goals took Aguero's Champions League tally to 45, overtaking Paul Scholes and Luis Figo, and he has now scored nine times in five games for City this season.
His efforts ensured Guardiola made a successful start to his attempt to join the elite band of managers -- including cross-city rival Jose Mourinho -- who have led two clubs to Europe's most prestigious club honor.
The Spaniard, who reached the semifinals in all three seasons with Bayern Munich after winning the competition with Barcelona, praised his team for the efficient manner in which they dealt with tricky opponents.
"I know this Borussia team perfectly, I had never won against this coach before. I knew how difficult this would be for us," said the Spaniard.
"It was the most dominant performance of my time here, considering the importance of the game. All the players played at a high, high level."
Guardiola saw new signing Gundogan make a highly impressive debut.
The German, full of neat control and incisive passing, played for the first time since dislocating the knee that kept him out of Euro 2016.
Three minutes after his clinical early strike, Aguero unselfishly set up Gundogan 10 meters out, but the former Borussia Dortmund midfielder was denied by an athletic save from Sommer.
After two minor alarms -- when Pablo Zabaleta's over-hit back pass evaded Claudio Bravo and a sweet shot by Raffael was deflected by John Stones -- City doubled their lead after Christoph Kramer clumsily brought down Gundogan just inside the box.
Aguero coolly side-footed the penalty home and the only negative of a commanding first-half performance was that the striker required lengthy treatment on his left knee.
He hobbled off at half-time, but reappeared for the second half and, along with Nicolas Otamendi and especially Sterling, threatened Sommer's goal again.
Sterling's fine reverse pass set Aguero clear on goal in the 77th minute and he put the ball through Sommer's legs to complete his hat-trick before Iheanacho converted after superb work by substitute Leroy Sane.
City next face Celtic in Glasgow on September 28 while Moenchengladbach host Barcelona, who dismantled the Scottish side 7-0 on Tuesday.
Late strikes from Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata gave Real Madrid a last-gasp 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon as the European champions came from behind to win the first game of their Champions League defense.
Ronaldo denied his Portuguese boyhood club a famous win by scoring an equalizer from a free-kick in the 89th minute just when it seemed Madrid could, sensationally, lose their opening game in Group F.
Morata then headed home deep in injury time to complete the fightback.
"We didn't start the game well, but Real Madrid are famous for comebacks like these and we leave here very happy," said Morata.
"We always believed in ourselves and we proved that you can always win a game until the referee blows the final whistle. Football is not always fair, but it was fundamental to win and that's what we've done."
Leicester City enjoyed the easiest possible introduction to Champions League football as two Riyad Mahrez goals helped them to brush off the limited Group G challenge of Club Bruges 3-0 at the Jan Breydel Stadium.
The win was Leicester's first in any European competition for 55 years and last season's surprise Premier League champions could not have wished for a better start, taking the lead when Marc Albrighton seized on a misplaced header from a long throw to score in the fifth minute.
The goal secured his position in the club's history as their first-ever scorer in the competition, and their first in Europe since 2000.
The game was effectively settled as a contest on 29 minutes when Mahrez curled a superb free kick into the net after veteran defender Timmy Simons had hauled down Jamie Vardy on the edge of the area.
With such a comfortable lead, Leicester began to savour the novel experience of playing top-level European football and could have added a third before the interval when Danny Drinkwater rocked back on his heels and produced a stinging volley from outside the area.
The only sour note for Leicester was a booking for 29-million-pound ($38.38-million) record signing Islam Slimani for a push on the back of Bjorn Engels, which led to the defender falling awkwardly and injuring his shoulder.
Mahrez completed the rout from the penalty spot on 61 minutes after Vardy gave the defence the slip and was upended by keeper Ludovic Butelle.
The results: Group C: Manchester City bt Moenchengladbach 4-0.
Group E: Bayen Leverkusen drew with CSKA Moscow 2-2; Tottenham lost to Monaco 1-2.
Group F: Legia lost to Dortmund 0-6; Real Madrid bt Sporting Lisbon 2-1.
Group G: Club Brugge lost to Leicester 0-3; Porto drew with Kobenhavn 1-1.
Group H: Lyon bt Dynamo Zagreb 3-0; Juventus drew with Sevilla 0-0.
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