CSKA Moscow 2 Manchester City 2
The Bebras Natcho 86th-minute penalty that gave CSKA Moscow a draw leaves Manchester City’s Champions League hopes dangling by a thread.
Now on two points, Manuel Pellegrini’s side would have been delighted with Bayern Munich’s win over Roma later in the evening to give them a chance of qualifying for the knockout phase.
Even then Vincent Kompany and his team face the toughest of challenges if they are to progress. At the close the captain led a delegation of players who complained to Istvan Vad, the referee. This was presumably about the dubious spot-kick he awarded when Aleksandar Kolarov was adjudged to have fouled Seydou Doumbia and from which Natcho scored the equaliser.
Yet they might also have been querying the number of home “fans” allowed into the Arena Khimki on a cold night that ended with CSKA and Uefa facing questions regarding how closely the club’s stadium ban on spectators had been followed. In the seats above the dugouts a contingent of as many as 350 had gathered and cheered the Russian side throughout. Chants of “CSKA, CSKA” were heard and they had company outside the Arena as loud singing and chanting could be heard.
What unfolded was a relatively open contest in which CSKA attacked with pace while City were more methodical, hoping to pick off their opponents after advancing slowly at Igor Akinfeev’s goal.
Beforehand Pablo Zabaleta had warned of the speed of Ahmed Musa, CSKA’s lone striker, and the Nigerian offered illustrations of how City might be got at. His pre-match chat had claimed Pellegrini’s team were “very weak” in defence and he set about proving this. One burst took him through on Joe Hart but the No18’s touch deserted him and Eliaquim Mangala conceded a corner. An earlier Musa shot was applauded loudly, as was a clever run to the right that pulled City out of position before Kompany cleaned up for his side. Zoran Tosic, once of Manchester United, also found Musa, who turned the ball in to a lurking Georgi Milanov but he was unable to collect.
Despite the probing stuff that had Yaya Touré or David Silva in a quarter-back role trying to slide in James Milner, Edin Dzeko or Sergio Agüero, when City opened the scoring it was from a slick break.
Silva had been identified along with Agüero as City’s main threat by Leonid Slutsky, the CSKA manager, and it was the Spaniard who slipped the ball through deftly for Dzeko to beat the offside trap.
The forward raced at Akinfeev then rolled the ball right to bypass the home goalkeeper and give the lethal Agüero a simple tap-in for an 11th in 11 appearances this term: the ratio of a supreme striker.
As light snow began falling, the thought arose that if City secured another goal they might coast through the evening. And less than 10 minutes later they secured it. Touré crossed the ball for Pablo Zabaleta to head down and after Agüero aimed at Afinkeev, Milner slid it home. Seconds later the referee turned down what appeared a good penalty shout when Dzeko was felled by Sergei Ignashevic in the area.
City’s concentration was about to lapse badly during the second half. As has been the case for much of this season, going forward they are formidable, but at the back they creak.
Roman Ermenko offered a warning when unloading a shot that was only barely over Hart’s crossbar. Kompany miscontrolled in his area to force Zabaleta into clean-up mode. And, then, CSKA pulled one back.
The Russians easily penetrated the visiting defence as Musa predicted they might, with the 22-year-old finding a pass from which the half-time substitute Doumbia finished.
Could City go up a gear again to restore the two-goal cushion? Pellegrini’s first adjustment of the XI suggested he wished to do so as on came the speed of Jesús Navas for Dzeko’s more lumbering threat.
Yet the defence continued to concern. Kompany is not enjoying the best campaign so far. He gave away a free-kick from which Natcho knocked in a ball that was unlucky to find Hart rather than produce a convincing shot. Then Ermenko found space along the right and fired the ball into the area, but again there was no finish.
Pellegrini then decided to go the other way, substituting Silva with the defensive qualities of Fernandinho but given the ending, this appeared a tactical blunder.
There had been rumours that some media passes – of which there were officially 150 – had been sold on to fans and as the match entered the closing minutes some of the press seats were occupied by people wearing CSKA scarves.
Then disaster struck for City. Kolarov was fooled by Doumbia and up stepped Natcho to leave City’s hopes very much in the balance.
Guardian Service
