MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 18:06:49| >> :60:250:250:
[monks data]
CSKA Moscow
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 21, 2014 at 5pm UK
 
Manchester City logo

2-2

Doumbia (64'), Natkho (86' pen.)
FT(HT: 0-2)
Aguero (29'), Milner (38')

Match Analysis: CSKA Moscow 2-2 Manchester City

Sports Mole casts an analytical eye over Manchester City's 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.

Manchester City's chances of qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages suffered a blow as they were held to a 2-2 draw by CSKA Moscow this evening.

The Premier League champions, who are still without a win after three games of this year's competition, took a 2-0 lead into the break thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and James Milner.

They offered little in the second half, though, and a Seydou Doumbia tap-in and Bibras Natcho penalty earned the hosts a point.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the match in front of a deserted Arena Khimki.

Match statistics

CSKA
Shots: 13
On target: 4
Possession: 45%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 8

MAN CITY
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 55%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 11

Was the result fair?

Probably not. City were cruising at 2-0 and then had a blatant penalty waved away before half time that should have also resulted in Sergei Ignashevich being sent off. However, the decision didn't go their way and City did very little after half time. CSKA were much more urgent and they will feel that they deserved a point, even if the winning penalty was certainly a soft one.

CSKA's performance

The Russian side started brightly, but once City scored their first they faded drastically and were perhaps lucky to only be two down at the break. Manager Leonid Slutsky knew that their hopes of qualifying were being extinguished and moved to a 4-4-2 formation with the introduction of Doumbia, who scored the first before winning the penalty for the equaliser.

Man City's performance

Once they found their feet and got used to playing at an empty stadium, Manuel Pellegrini's side started to show their quality and the likes of David Silva and Aguero started to have more and more influence. Silva's perfect pass over the top freed Edin Dzeko to set up Aguero for the second and it was more exquisite passing that led to Milner's second ever Champions League goal.

The first half was just what Pellegrini would have wanted, but it was the opposite after the interval. There was little desire and barely any threat going forward. Careless mistakes were made too and players that are usually so reliable on the ball were wasteful in possession. Yes, they should have had a penalty and a numerical advantage for the second half and yes the penalty was soft, but the second-half slump is inexcusable.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Ahmed Musa: It's hard to reward any of City's players with this after their display in the second 45, so we're going to credit Nigerian international Musa for his tireless running in the first half as a lone striker and the clever run and pass that got CSKA back in the game.

Biggest gaffe

When Dzeko was brought down for what should have been a penalty the ball rolled across goal and into the path of Milner, who smacked the post from a tight angle. There was a rash challenge approaching and the angle was tight, but he still should have found the net from so close in.

Referee performance

Hungary's Istvan Vad did not shower himself in glory tonight. How he failed to give City a penalty in the first half but then decided that Aleksandar Kolarov's challenge on Doumbia was a penalty is a mystery. You can see why he gave CSKA a spot kick, but not how he's ignored the challenge from behind by Ignashevich on Dzeko.

What next?

CSKA: Next up is a trip to FC Ufa in the Russian league, while their fourth Champions League match sees them travel to the Etihad to again face City on Wednesday, November 5.

Man City: Pellegrini's side travel to West Ham United on Saturday lunchtime and then have home league games against Newcastle United and city rivals Manchester United before the visit of CSKA early next month.

ID:183821: cacheID:183821:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:6535:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester City's English midfielder James Milner celebrates with Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League match at CSKA Moscow on October 21, 2014
Read Next:
CSKA fight back to draw with Man City
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!