Osman Bukari has voiced his disappointment following Red Star Belgrade’s loss to European champions Manchester City in the opening match of the UEFA Champions League.
The Ghanaian international scored a remarkable goal to open the scoring in an exhilarating match at the Etihad on Tuesday night, marking his first goal in the competition’s group stage.
Nevertheless, a resilient comeback from the treble-winning Manchester City squad resulted in Red Star’s defeat as they returned to Serbia.
“Unfortunately, not the results we wanted but we will come back stronger! Thank you all for the support!,” wrote Bukari on social media after the match.
At the stroke of halftime, the 24-year-old provided the Serbian champions with a lead by skillfully beating the offside trap.
In the early stages of the second half, City responded with a goal from Argentine forward Julian Alvarez.
The 2022 World Cup winner gave Manchester City their first lead of the game at the hour mark, and Rodri secured the victory late in the match.
Despite the defeat, Red Star Belgrade’s manager, Barak Bahar, expressed pride in Bukari and his fellow teammates for their commendable performance in England.
“After the lead at halftime, I told the team that they had to keep playing, because I knew that Manchester City would press in the second half. They scored quickly in the second half but we were brave and kept fighting.
“We tried to press, but we didn’t succeed because their ball moves incredibly. We fought, we can look in the mirror and I’m proud of the team. We will transfer this energy to the next game,” he said after the game, as quoted by crvenazvezdafk.com.
As previously reported by Sports Brief, Bukari achieved his maiden goal in the UEFA Champions League group stage by opening the scoring during the match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The Ghanaian forward, who represents the Black Stars, found the net just before halftime after skillfully evading the offside trap to connect with a pass from Mirko Ivanic.
Bukari played a pivotal role in Red Star Belgrade’s qualification for the group stage, delivering outstanding performances throughout the qualifiers.