Zimpapers Logo

GOING FOR THE KILL . . . Manchester City right back Pablo Zabaleta shoots with his left foot as CSKA Moscow defender Aleksei Berezutski attempts to block the ball. — Mailonline

MOSCOW. — Manchester City’s hopes of qualifying for the next round of the Champions League suddenly look very slim indeed after a 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow and a sense of injustice will have followed them all the way home yesterday. In a game City coach Manuel Pellegrini had admitted his team really needed to win here in freezing Moscow, his team were 2-0 up and cruising after a perfect first half at the Arena Khimki.
Goals arriving from Sergio Aguero and James Milner, City looked to be in total control.

However, City inexplicably fell off the pace in the second half and came away with only a point after substitute Seydou Doumbia dragged CSKA back into the game in the 65th minute and then Bebras Natcho converted a late penalty.
City will not be happy, though, and with good reason.

Not only were there as many as 300 CSKA fans inside the stadium for what should have been a behind closed doors game, the decision by referee Istvan Vad to penalise Aleksandar Kolarov for a supposed shirt pull on Ahmed Musa appeared very harsh indeed.

City captain Vincent Kompany led the protests as the teams left the field at the end and they seemed justified. All that matters now, though, is that City have only two points from three Group E games and must in all likelihood beat CSKA, Bayern Munich and then AS Roma away if they are not to end another European campaign rather earlier than they would have wished.

It was certainly a little grim at kick-off. There was no way UEFA could be blamed for the game being played behind closed doors. Such is CSKA’s crime sheet that the governing body had to act at some point.

Nevertheless, these were not the kind of conditions anybody really wishes football to be played in.
There were some people inside the stadium. Officially the group of 200 or so fans gathered in the main stand were sponsors and guests. The way they behaved though — singing and chanting in unison with those outside the stadium — suggested they were rank and file who had somehow gained entrance to the ground. On the field, City fielded a strong side and that was predictable. This was a game they really needed to win after disappointing early results.

By half-time City were well on top and led deservedly through Aguero and Milner.
CSKA had started brightly and did threaten on a couple of occasions. A long shot from Ahmed Musa had Joe Hart scrambling across goal before former Manchester United winger Zoran Tosic cut inside to curl a left foot shot wide with Hart once again in some trouble.

Certainly there was enough there early on to cause City some concern and twice in the opening twenty minutes captain Vincent Kompany had to contribute vital tackles, once to stop Tosic and then to thwart Musa after a heavy touch from the striker.

Slowly, though, City took hold of the game and twice they could have taken the lead before they actually did score as Pablo Zabaleta and Milner volleyed wide of either post from tight angles after good balls from the impressive Yaya Toure. When City did score, it was a super goal. David Silva split the CSKA defence with a through ball to Edin Dzeko and the Bosnian waited for Aguero to arrive to his right before slipping the ball to his partner for his eleventh goal in as many games this season. —Mailonline.