Man City players: a good performance in Ukraine

Manchester City’s Coach Manuel Pellegrini said Yaya Toure’s curled third goal against Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine Wednesday night has given the club the confidence to march into the quarter-finals of the UEFA champions league.

A dynamic first-half display at Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine helped City secure a 3-1 last-16 first-leg. Toure provided the icing of the cake.

City were irrepressible in the opening 45 minutes, slicing through their opponents almost at will and taking a 2-0 lead with goals from Sergio Aguero and David Silva.

The hosts, however, improved dramatically after the restart and Vitaliy Buyalskiy’s deflected effort reduced the arrears to fire up the home crowd and spur on the Dynamo players.

City keeper Joe Hart was forced into a superb save to deny Buyalskiy an equaliser, but Yaya Toure curled home late on to leave the tie firmly balanced in City’s favour ahead of the return leg on March 15.

The English side, who reverted to a full-strength team after resting a host of players in a humiliating 5-1 FA Cup defeat by Chelsea, began with real intent, dominating possession and pressing their opponents into near submission in a classy first-half display.

The hosts, returning from their winter break, looked very much a side who had not played an official match in two and a half months.

“I’m very happy,”  reflected Manuel Pellegrini, coach of City. “It’s a very good result. Of course, it’s not finished – we have to play the second leg at home – but I think playing away and having a two-goal difference is a good result.

“We played very well – we created a lot of chances – and we pressed very well.

“Dynamo are a team who like to make a short build up. We recovered the ball well most of the time and because in the first half we pressed high, we created at least three more chances.

“Maybe at 2-1 there were some moments of doubt but finally, we recovered the ball and scored the third goal.

“In football, you never think all is finished but the third goal gives us more confidence for the second leg.