Manchester City boss makes ambitious Champions League claim after qualifications secured

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor believes his team "can go a long way" in this season's Champions League after they comfortably qualified for the group stage of the competition with an 8-0 aggregate victory over Paris FC.

The Blues already had one foot in the last 16 following their 5-0 rout in France last week however they secured their progression with a further 3-0 win at the Joie Stadium on Thursday night. Chloe Kelly opened the scoring in the second minute in Manchester, finishing from close range after a mistake from Paris goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie.

Kelly then turned provider for Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw - who missed the first leg of the tie after City failed to file a visa application in time - with the Jamaican tapping home in the 31st minute. Shaw doubled her tally for the evening shortly after the hour mark, coolly dispatching a spot-kick after being brought down inside the penalty area.

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"I feel we can go a long way," Taylor said after the game. "I never would say we are going to win it. Getting out of the group stage is going to be our next objective. As long as we get out of the group, anything can happen.

"We want a crack at it, we just want to have a go at it, enjoy the ride, enjoy the experience, but we want to actually do something in this competition and I think we can."

City will find out their opponents on Friday afternoon when the group stage draw is made. It marks the first time Taylor's side have reached the group stage since the 2020-21 season when they lost to Barcelona in the quarter-finals.

"We are looking forward to the draw now," said Taylor. "It's easier said than done to try and get into the Champions League. The qualification process is really difficult. Our ambition is to go really far. We go into every competition to try and win it. We know how difficult that is, especially in this one.

"I've always felt from the outside looking in especially over the last couple of years that this team had they been in the competition they wouldn't be too far away. We're here to try and win and we are looking forward to the draw now."