Berlin, Oct 1 (IANS) Sergio Aguero’s late 2-1 winner against Monchengladbach secured Manchester City the first win in Group D at UEFA Champions League group stage.
Wasteful Monchengladbach suffered their second straight loss on Wednesday in Group D while Manchester City avoided their second loss after coming from behind to snatch three points on the road.
Both sides staged a see-saw match with many chances at both ends of the pitch. Manchester City worked out the first chance through Sergio Aguero, who missed Raheem Sterling’s cross before the hosts squandered an awarded foul play penalty, as Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart denied Raffael’s attempt with 20 minutes into the game.
Sergio Aguero continued to be a threat for Monchengladbach’s defence while goalkeeper Joe Hart’s saves denied Raffael’s and Patrick Herrmann’s efforts before the break.
However, the hosts picked up the pace after the restart to break the deadlock through Lars Stindl, who made use of a through ball by Julian Korb to beat Hart into the bottom left corner.
It was a short-lived joy by the hosts as Manchester City restored parity only 11 minutes later after Nicolas Otamendi hammered home a rebound following a corner at the 65th minute.
With the 1-1 equalizer, Manchester City gained momentum and lurked for the winner. Nevertheless, it was a foul play penalty by Fabian Johnson, who brought down Sergio Aguero inside the box, which allowed Aguero to slot home the 2-1 lead from the spot with one minute remaining.
“We are obviously disappointed because we didn’t reward ourselves today,” Monchengladbach interim coach Andre Schubert said.
With the result, Manchester City reaped their first victory in Group D whereas Monchengladbach still wait for their first points.
Juventus sit atop the standings with six points, followed by Sevilla and Manchester City both with three points and Monchengladbach with zero points.
