Manchester City Finally Tops the Group

Had they not finished first in the group stage, the Sky Blues' annual reunion with Barcelona would have been imminent.

So maybe it'll happen later, when the drama-meter rachets up a level or two.

Manchester City put on a champion-like performance against an in-form Borussia Mönchengladbach to claim a 4-2 victory on the final day of Champions League group competition.

After defeating the mighty FC Bayern in Bundesliga play and with Manchester City having lost to Stoke, Die Fohlen were the trendy choice here, but in the immortal words of Buzz Lightyear:

The returning David Silva combined with golden boy Raheem Sterling to leave the Germans lost for words:

Dude can not only find the twine, he can nearly break through it.

But Gladbach are a hot side right now, and they know how to reply:

Workhorse Julian Korb did the hot-knife thing to perfection.

And that set the stage for a bit of pinball wizardry:

English defenders drop their guard more than the Dude in the Red Shirt standing next to Captain Kirk.

And Gladbach's back four aren't immune, either:

The game is on.

Sterling's being paid lofty dosh for his services, and he kept provided dividends on this occasion:

There cannot be a better first-touch finish.

It was a great comeback story for the Citizens, and it got even better, à la Wilfried Bony:

This is how you top a group.