Manchester City Lolos ke 16 Besar Liga Champions, Tekuk AS Roma 2-0
Nasri and Zabaleta Send Manchester City into Champions League Last 16
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
Roma (B2B) - Manchester City memastikan peluang ke 16 Besar Liga Champions mendampingi Bayern Munchen setelah gol Pablo Zabaleta pada menit 86 membuat City unggul 2-0 atas Roma pada Kamis dini hari WIB.
Dua gol City dicetak oleh Samir Nasri pada menit 60 dan Pablo Zabaleta pada menit 86.
Bayern sudah dipastikan mengantongi satu tiket ke fase knockout, sementara CSKA Moskow, Manchester City, dan Roma sama-sama mengoleksi lima poin sebelum hasil pertandingan ini.
City harus mendapatkan hasil lebih baik dari CSKA. Jika City seri 0-0 dan CSKA kalah, Roma lolos. Jika City kalah di Stadium Olympic, pasukan biru langit harus angkat kaki, seperti dilansir Yahoo Sports.
Pada babak pertama Roma lebih banyak menciptakan masalah bagi lini pertahanan City, sementara City belum menimbulkan masalah berarti bagi kiper Roma.
Roma memulai usahanya dengan menembus pertahanan City dengan berbagai cara, tetapi masih bisa diselamatkan kiper Joe Hart.
Kabar gembira bagi fans City datang setelah penyerang Munchen Thomas Mueller mencetak gol ke gawang CSKA Moskow yang menguntungkan City. Kecuali jika pertandingan antara Roma dan City berakhir 0-0, Roma yang akan melaju.
Roma - Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta struck in the second half as Manchester City reached the Champions League knockout stage with a brilliant 2-0 win at Roma.
French playmaker Nasri chose the perfect moment to score his first goal of the season, smashing in a shot via the woodwork on the hour at the Stadio Olimpico.
Until then a City side without three of their key players had been second best but Joe Hart was outstanding and they grew in confidence to claim a famous victory when Nasri set up Zabaleta after 86 minutes.
It completed a remarkable comeback in Group E, with progress having looked unlikely just a couple of weeks ago.
CSKA Moscow's defeat to Bayern Munich confirmed that City, who had just two points after four games, would join the Germans in the last 16 against the odds.
Despite City's heroics against Bayern to revive their campaign a fortnight ago, their task in the Italian capital always seemed a tough one.
It grew all the more daunting before kick-off as captain Vincent Kompany failed to prove his fitness to miss out along with the injured Sergio Aguero and suspended Yaya Toure.
