Ahmed Musa and his CSKA Moscow team mates celebrated in a maverick fashion, as they gunned down Man City 2-1 at Ettihad. City started sloppily and ended in disarray, down to nine men, with Yaya Toure given s straight red for petulantly pushing Vasili Berezutski to the floor. He will play no further part in this campaign, such as it is. Fernandinho will miss the next game for two yellows. City were indisciplined and incompetent by turns. They were never ahead and have now conceded two goals or more in five of their last six Champions League matches at home. Those are desperate statistics. They have had tough draws but not every opponent is a world-beater. It is just that City make them look that way.
Moscow are a good counter-attacking team, lively at set-pieces. City made no provision for the first quality and fell asleep when required to repel a dead ball. The odd thrill in the second-half chasing the game does not balance the limp resistance in the first. Fernandinho’s dismissal for two bookable offences – both justified – merely compounded City’s failings on this stage. He looks half the player that turned out in the Champions League for Shakhtar Donetsk.
Yes, CSKA Moscow rode their luck – not least when Pontus Wernbloom should have seen red for a second foul, having already been given a yellow for a foul bodycheck on Yaya Toure. In the second-half he pulled Sergio Aguero back, but Sergei Ignashevich took the rap instead. Lucky.
Would it have changed the outcome, though? Probably not. City looked devoid of ideas, Manuel Pellegrini nowhere near solving the malaise in this competition. It may cost him his job. It pretty much did for Roberto Mancini in the end.
It cannot have been much quieter than this behind closed doors in Moscow last time. The home crowd were stunned into silence by what they saw – not just CSKA’s opening goal after two minutes, but the way they regularly cut through Manchester City’s apology for a defence. It was as if Manchester United’s Chris Smalling had left his germs here from Sunday. Suddenly, City were making poor decisions, rash challenges, playing without thinking. The second goal wasn’t their second chance, either. The Russians had another one on one opportunity that could have put them comfortably clear by half time.
Despite the worst of City’s form in Europe there was confidence, almost presumption, that this would be a much-needed win. They were, after all, two goals clear in Moscow until complacency saw the full complement of points slip. Given home advantage and basic necessity they would surely just go out and do the necessary. It didn’t pan out that way.
Ahmed Musa won a free-kick for handball against Gael Clichy on the edge of the area from Moscow’s first attack and Yaya Toure’s famously lackadaisical attitude to defending this season did the rest. Bebras Natcho whipped in the dead ball and Seydou Doumbia, the Ivory Coast striker, left his countryman standing to head the ball unchallenged past a defenceless Joe Hart. He is a big unit, Doumbia, quick and powerful, smart in his runs and movement – but even so, this was disgraceful defending. Once again, it showed City at their most complacent. They obviously didn’t fancy the Russians either – didn’t fancy them enough to think Doumbia might be a threat at set pieces.
They came close to hitting back instantly, with a Sergio Aguero pass to Jesus Navas that the winger blazed over the bar wastefully. From their next attack Stevan Jovetic was brought down roughly 30 yards from goal and Toure seized the opportunity to make amends. His free-kick was beautiful. From just outside the penalty box ‘D’ he curled the ball in towards the near post with goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev grasping at thin air. There were sighs of relief. It was a blip, a freak occurrence, that first goal. This was normal service. Manchester City would kick on from him. It wasn’t quite like that. Not at all.
The next chance could have restored Moscow’s lead. Martin Demichelis, in desperately unconvincing mode, dived in, missed his tackle and left Doumbia with only Hart to be. He screwed his shot wide, but not by much. The crowd, momentarily hushed again, regained their voice, and raised it in anger. This really wasn’t good enough. Condensed from the Mail.