Manchester City recover to beat Mönchengladbach
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
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Mönchengladbach 1-2 Manchester City
Sergio Agüero's late penalty earned the points, though the English side were equally indebted to Joe Hart's fine display.
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- Manchester City off the mark as they come from behind to win in Germany
- Sergio Agüero scores the winner from the penalty spot on 90 minutes
- Joe Hart makes several fine stops, saving Raffael's penalty midway through the first half
- Next matches: Juventus v Mönchengladbach, Man. City v Sevilla (21 October)
Sergio Agüero's late penalty snatched victory for Manchester City as the English side edged out Borussia Mönchengladbach in a pulsating contest.
Both teams exchanged promising opportunities in a frantic opening to the Group D tie, with Agüero and Patrick Herrmann both going close to breaking the deadlock in the first ten minutes.
The Foals were handed a gilt-edged chance when Raffael was felled by Nicolás Otamendi, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Raffael's penalty was well-struck, but Joe Hart guessed the right way and managed to block the Brazilian's effort with an outstretched leg.
The frenetic nature of the contest showed no sign of abating as the half wore on. Agüero twice went close with rasping attempts from the edge of the area, before Hart came to his side's aid once more with point-blank saves to deny Raffael and Herrmann.
There was little the 28-year-old could do about Lars Stindl's 54th-minute opener, though. The former Hannover captain got on the end of Julian Korb's low cross and fired a low shot inside Hart's near post to send the home fans into raptures.
The hosts' lead lasted just 11 minutes. From a City corner, Martín Demichelis headed in despite Korb's best efforts to stop the ball crossing the line. City played on, Otamendi finding the net via a deflection, but the goal had already been awarded.
Buoyed by their equaliser, the Citizens pushed in search of a winner. When Agüero was felled inside the area in the 89th minute, the referee had little choice but to award the second penalty of the evening. Up stepped Agüero, who coolly slotted past Yann Sommer to seal a valuable victory.
Key Player: Joe Hart
Not only did Hart save Raffael's 20th-minute spot kick, he also produced outstanding stops to frustrate Herrmann and Raffael before the interval. A magnificent display from England's No1.
If at first you don't succeed …
He may have scored the decider, yet City could have been out of sight if Agüero had worn his shooting boots in the first half. He missed three good opportunities to make the breakthrough, only to then find the net when it mattered most to earn three invaluable points.
Gladbach still in the running
On this evidence, Borussia have enough quality to reach the last 16. Had it not been for Hart, André Schubert's side could have secured a share of the spoils at the very least. Sevilla and Juventus will have their work cut out at the Borussia-Park.