MOTD: Roma 0-2 Manchester City

By on December 10, 2014

It is possible to define Manchester City’s so called “Champions League curse” in two ways. City managers, who have struggled mightily in the competition, will be quick to pin their troubles on the fact that they have drawn consistently terrifying groups – their four most recent entires have seen them draw the ultimate finalists in their group stage every single year, and reigning champions Bayern Munich three times. And last season, the first time they made it out of the group stage, they drew Barcelona in the Round of 16. Critics, on the other hand, suggest they simply play poor football in Europe as newbies still learning their ways at the level of competition. In a sense, both arguments have a point. This year, they drew Roma and Bayern (again), and after giving up a 2-0 lead against CSKA Moscow in one key match, ultimately needed to basically beat both in order to advance.

Only now, as City come away with critical wins from those fixtures and advance to the knockout stage, does that merry-go round of accusations cease. City, it seems, are becoming better accustomed to the pressures of the UCL and under Manuel Pellegrini have now passed the group stage two years running. When they lost to Moscow this fall this achievement was sorely in doubt, but the quality they showed against Bayern last week and away at Roma — without David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure or Sergio Aguero due to injuries — demonstrate their improvements to date.

Today, they had a tough task. Only a scoring draw or win would do against Roma to progress to the knockout stages, yet collectively Pellegrini’s men played well enough to see of that of Rudi Garcia. Mind, that doesn’t mean we saw a poor match — Roma, currently second only two Juventus in Serie A, did have the quality to threaten City. Gervinho’s pace particularly provided City’s back four a handful, and had Joe Hart not been on form we could have seen an entirely different result.

The Englishman, now finding his form again, was on hand five minutes in to block a low effort from Jose Holebas, who was put in right behind City’s defense and cut in the middle, for the Sky Blues’ defense to mop up. In an end-to-end opening, James Milner than forced Hart’s opposing number Morgan De Sanctis into work, though Roma came right back down the other end and only Hart’s fingertips prevented Gervinho, yet again finding a long ball with another clever run, from finding the back of the net with a low shot across the goal.

City attempted to keep Roma’s quick breaks at bay, and though both Gervinho and Maicon tamely tested Hart The Citizens were on the front foot. Milner again knocked on the door late in the half as De Sanctis needed quick reflexes to stop him from poking into the bottom corner, as well as Edin Dzeko, who sent had multiple chances in and around the six-yard box, but failed to capitalize.

It was certainly an evenly and delicately poised match on either side of the half — Samir Nasri gave City a crucial lead fifty-six minutes in with a powerful twenty-yard effort in off the post. Just moments before Nasri’s strike, Miralem Pjanic had tested Hart down low to his right and moments afterwards Radja Nainggolan sent a screaming long range bullet goal wards which Hart palmed over. Adam Ljajic then blasted a shot over in a good position down the left side of City’s penalty area, and seventy-two minutes in Kostas Manolas rose up to meet Pjanic’s free-kick at the near post and forced Hart into a magnificent save to tip his header onto the post and out. From the following corner Martin Demichelis made a Goalline clearance, and while the highlight real indeed heavily favors Roma in reality City had adequate control of the game.

In fact, eighty-six minutes in Palo Zabaleta stormed all the way up from right-back to poke home Nasri’s squared pass into the bottom left hand corner. Roma would have needed three to keep City out of the Round of 16 at that point. City played well enough to deserve the knockout stages appearance with a tough draw – and as a club of their caliber can’t even give up if they get a tough draw in the next round as well.
Man of the Match: Samir Nasri

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.