Hamburg hit back to sink early birds City

Hamburg recovered from the shock of conceding an early goal to beat Manchester City 3-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Cup quarter-final here on Thursday.

Stephen Ireland stunned the 57,000-capacity HSH Nordbank Arena by firing City in front after just 35 seconds, only for defender Joris Mathijsen to equalise shortly afterwards.

City goalkeeper Shay Given kept his side in the game with some magnificent saves, but a handball by Micah Richards allowed Piotr Trochowski to stroke his side in front from the penalty spot.

Jose Paolo Guerrero struck late on to put his side firmly in the driving seat prior to the return leg in Manchester on April 16.

Visiting coach Mark Hughes fielded an attacking side, with record signing Robinho, Welsh international Craig Bellamy and youth academy graduate Daniel Sturridge up front, and they took the lead in scintillating fashion inside 35 seconds.

Ireland’s sweeping crossfield pass was returned into his path by Robinho and the onrushing Irishman adroitly side-footed the ball into the bottom-right corner from just inside the penalty area.

Given saved brilliantly from David Jarolim, Mladen Petric and then Michael Gravgaard as Hamburg sought an immediate response, but in the ninth minute the hosts levelled when Dutch international Mathijsen nodded home Trochowski’s left-wing corner.

Hamburg began to dominate, Jonathan Pitroipa looping a header onto Given’s crossbar, but City continued to threaten on the counter-attack and Bellamy forced Frank Rost to block after being picked out by Sturridge.

City were indebted to an acrobatic goal-line clearance from Shaun Wright-Phillips after a corner on the hour-mark, but the visitors’ hard work was undone moments later when Richards raised his arms to block an overhead kick from Mathijsen.

Trochowski made no mistake with the penalty, before substitute Guerrero tapped home Trochowski’s fine low centre from the left with just over 10 minutes to play.