MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Kevin De Bruyne’s Manchester City return was cut short Thursday when the Napoli midfielder was substituted after only 26 minutes following a red card for teammate Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
De Bruyne was sacrificed as coach Antonio Conte reorganized his team after going down to 10 men.
Manchester City went on to claim a 2-0 win.
“I was very sorry I had to make that substitution, I also knew by taking him off we were going to miss some of the things he can give us,” said Conte.
“But I don’t really see that I had any other option. He understood why I had to make that decision.”
The City great was making his return to the Etihad Stadium after leaving the club at the end of last season as a free agent. He was given a hero’s welcome by City fans and then given an ovation as he left the field.
Di Lorenzo was sent off in the 21st minute following a VAR review for bringing down Erling Haaland just outside the box.
De Bruyne’s number was raised five minutes later to be replaced by Mathias Olivera.
In a 10-year spell at City, De Bruyne helped the club win 16 major trophies including six Premier League titles and the Champions League.
City said in May that it would erect a statue in his honor outside the stadium to mark his status as one of its greatest players. The club also installed a mosaic of De Bruyne at its academy and named a road on its campus after him.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer