Gabriel Jesus scored a 20-minute hat-trick as Manchester City rallied in Dinamo Zagreb for a 4-1 victory to scupper the hopes of the Croatian team progressing to the knockout stages of the European Champions League.
With Shakhtar Donetsk losing 3-0 in a game being played simultaneously to Atalanta, Dinamo would have won a runner-up place behind City with a victory at Maksimir Stadium.
In the 10th minute, Dinamo also took the lead against the already qualified English champions when Dani Olmo, a player linked to a possible move to City, met a volley-high in-swinging cross from the right.
Jesus, again a substitute for the missing Sergio Aguero, led City’s fightback by heading for a 34th-minute equaliser at the cross of Riyad Mahrez.
Dinamo’s players complained to the referee and their colleagues that the ball was meant to have been kicked out of play in the goal build-up when teammate Petar Stojanovic was on the field, pretending to have been injured.
Five minutes into the second half, Jesus exchanged passes with Phil Foden before he cut his right foot inside the zone and angled a shot in the far corner.
By running to volley in a left-wing cross from Benjamin Mendy, who was a constant threat on the left back, the Brazil striker completed his haul in the 54th.
Jesus also scored a hat-trick at Shakhtar’s home in last season’s Champions League.
Foden, the highly rated 19-year-old midfielder from City, wrapped up the win with a close-range shot finishing off a flowing team move.
City fielded a weakened team with a game to spare for the game that clinched a last-16 berth.
Dinamo was unable to capitalize and fell to fourth in the table, losing out on a spot awarded to third-place finishers in the Europa League.