Manchester City reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time despite a lethargic second leg goalless draw against Dynamo Kiev.
City, 3-1 up from the first leg, were in control of the tie but lost both centre-backs Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi to injury early on.
In a slow-paced first-half, neither side threatened a shot on target.
Jesus Navas hit the post with a low drive in the second half and Yaya Toure struck straight at the goalkeeper.
Manuel Pellegrini – who is to be replaced by Pep Guardiola as boss next season – wants to finish by making City champions of Europe for the first time.
After winning the League Cup last month, the Champions League remains City’s only realistic hope of a second trophy this season, as they lie 12 points behind leaders Leicester in the Premier League, reports the BBC.
Pellegrini has made history by taking City further in the competition than any other manager, but can he go all the way?
Well, they will want to avoid Barcelona in the draw for the next round – should the holders complete the job against Arsenal on Wednesday – having been knocked out by the current Spanish champions in each of the last two seasons.
It was just as well that City had done the damage in the first leg, as this was a desperately poor performance against a Kiev side who have never won in England.
With the match taking an almost testimonial feel for long spells, neither striker Sergio Aguero nor midfielder Toure could exert their influence and missed the opportunity to signal their intent to other teams left in the tournament.
Post a Comment