City counts cost of first last-8 foray
Print Edition
MANCHESTER City’s players trudged off the field. Many fans left early. The final whistle was greeted with only a smattering of cheers.
It was hardly the way the English club envisaged marking progress to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the first time in its history.
Another landmark feat for Abu Dhabi-owned City was achieved on Tuesday thanks to a lackluster 0-0 draw with Dynamo Kiev at Etihad Stadium, which sealed a 3-1 victory on aggregate. Progress came with little fanfare and at a cost, with captain Vincent Kompany hobbling off in the 5th minute with a recurrence of his long-standing calf problems that could keep him out for a month.
“It was really satisfying to make history for this club,” City defender Pablo Zabaleta, although it was hard to tell by the end.
Injuries to Kompany and fellow center back Nicolas Otamendi, who hobbled off in the 23rd after a clash of knees, were the major incidents in a soporific match as City advanced with the minimum of concern but without impressing, either.
Kiev, seeking a first Champions League quarterfinal berth since 1999, needed to score three goals to stand a chance of advancing but barely threatened until creating a couple of opportunities in the final minutes. City’s reorganized defense stayed relatively solid and the team took few risks, with winger Jesus Navas striking a 61st-minute shot against the post for City’s best chance.
City’s ownership in the Middle East has had tangible reward for their influx of cash since 2008 in the shape of five domestic trophies, including two Premier League titles. Yet progress beyond the last 16 in five seasons in the Champions League has eluded them — until now.
City will be hoping to avoid the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona — should the Spanish champion advance, as expected, yesterday — as likely the only English club in today’s draw for the quarterfinals.
In Madrid, Juanfran’s winning penalty sent Atletico Madrid into the Champions League quarterfinals, clinching an agonizing 8-7 penalty shootout win over PSV Eindhoven after neither side could manage a goal in 210 minutes across the two legs of the tie.
The first 14 spot-kicks of the shootout were then converted in clinical fashion before PSV’s Luciano Narsingh smashed his effort against the bar.
Juanfran then stepped up to convert the winning penalty and send Atletico into the last eight for the third straight year.
“It was a heart-stopping tie,” said Juanfran. “I am very happy to see how the crowd got behind the side. We believe, our coach makes us believe and we have a lot of hunger and heart.”
It is the second consecutive season that Diego Simeone’s men have progressed to the quarterfinals on penalties after seeing off Bayer Leverkusen in similar fashion a year ago.
“It was a classic Cup tie with plenty of tension,” said Simeone. “Neither team committed any errors and in the end penalties went our way.”
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
