adminMANCHESTER City have had their noses pressed up against the glass while the Champions League festivities went on without them — despite the riches, they were all dressed up with nowhere to go. Europe’s elite tournament has provided little other than disappointment as well as the mystifying failure of expensively assembled City teams to look anything but strangers in the competition.
Sometimes just one moment, or in this case two in the space of five late and dramatic minutes, can provide the spark and self-belief to convince Manchester City and their fans that they actually belong in the Champions League.
The two moments came from the world-class talent that is Sergio Aguero, pouncing on unlikely errors as 10-man Bayern Munich, cruising to a 2-1 win, were beaten 3-2. Suddenly the door is ajar for City as they travel to Roma for their final Group E game on 10 December.
City can go through so long as they better CSKA Moscow’s result against Bayern in Munich but if City lose to Roma, or it ends 0-0, they would go out.
Can they reach the knockout stage for only the second time in four attempts?
Not until the last five minutes perhaps – but when it did it could yet prove to be a huge turning point for City and Pellegrini.
The Chilean effectively told his players at half-time that they had 45 minutes to save their involvement in this season’s Champions League. True enough, but there was a lot more riding on it than that.
After a last-16 exit to Barcelona last season amid rancour over the first-leg refereeing of Swedish official Jonas Eriksson, who Pellegrini claimed favoured the Catalans, this campaign has been dismal. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter