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CSKA Moscow
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 21, 2014 at 5pm UK
 
Manchester City logo

2-2

Doumbia (64'), Natkho (86' pen.)
FT(HT: 0-2)
Aguero (29'), Milner (38')

Live Commentary: CSKA Moscow 2-2 Manchester City - as it happened

Find out how Manchester City surrendered a 2-0 half-time lead to draw 2-2 with CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
2

Manchester City took on CSKA Moscow in the Champions League group stage for the second year running this evening.

In front of an empty Arena Khimki, City took a 2-0 half-time lead but were then pegged back by the Russian outfit in the second half.

Their hopes of progressing now hang in the balance and you can read how tonight's game unfolded in our minute-by-minute updates below.


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Anyway, that's all we've got time for on this commentary. Make sure you now click here to find links to our coverage of the remaining Champions League ties tonight. Enjoy!

Pellegrini's side will now have to probably win all three of their remaining games, which include a trip to Roma and a visit from Bayern. Yikes!

City are now three games without a win in this year's Champions League after being pegged back in Khimki by CSKA.

FULL-TIME: CSKA 2-2 MAN CITY

THREE minutes of time added on.

CSKA SUB: Doumbia comes off less than 45 minutes after coming on. His work is done though, a goal and winning a penalty. Cauna on in his place.

Surprisingly, it's CSKA who have the latest shot as Musa slices his left-foot effort horribly wide. How much added time will we have? It's usually less in Europe than you'll see in the Premier League.

CITY SUB: Jovetic comes on, but it's for Fernando as they are desperate for a goal now. Frantic few minutes ahead.

Natcho hits the ball high past Hart into the corner after Kolarov had been penalised for bundling over Doumbia. It was harsh on the visitors, but you can see why he gave it.

GOAL! CSKA 2-2 MAN CITY (NATCHO, PEN.)

PENALTY FOR CSKA!

Jovetic will be the third and final City sub. I expect that it will be Aguero who comes off.

Better from City in the last few minutes after that spell of CSKA pressure. Pellegrini's men haven't threatened particularly, but nor have they looked like conceding that killer equaliser.



CITY SUB: A second change for the visitors as Silva comes off for Fernandinho. The latter will provide more sturdiness in front of the defence.

City are living so dangerously! CSKA are definitely favourites to score the fourth goal at the moment and again threaten as Eremenko's cross-shot zips across the six-yard box. Fortunately for the visitors, no red shirt is arriving at the back stick.

From @OptaJoe on Twitter: "10 - Man City have kept no clean sheets in their last 10 Champions League matches. Shaky."

CHANCE! City really have to be careful here, they looked so comfortable by the end of the first half but have shown very little since the break. They almost are pegged back to 2-2 as Natcho's free kick is met by Ignashevich. The Russian can't get enough on it and Hart saves.

Musa tries to score a spectacular equaliser with a shot from about 30 yards that is tame and easy for Hart to clutch to his chest.

CITY SUB: And now a first change from Pellegrini as he consolidates by taking Dzeko off and replacing him with winger Jesus Navas.

CSKA SUB: A second change for the hosts as Dmitri Efremov comes on for Tosic. Surprising to see the latter taken off as he was one of CSKA's brightest sparks.

Toure tries to restore City's two-goal advantage with a curling shot from outside the box, but it's too close to Akinfeev.

The hosts are back in it now though! Doumbia looked like he might be going off injured but he's just scored by bundling in a Musa centre from close range.

GOAL! CSKA 1-2 MAN CITY (DOUMBIA)

CLOSE! Eremenko almost pulls one back for CSKA with a shot that loops over Hart and lands on top of the net.

Doumbia is back on the pitch after that injury scare.

Another shot from Natcho, who volleys it first time from the edge of the box. It's a better strike than the one moments earlier, but still doesn't trouble Hart.

Doumbia is now being helped off the pitch and it looks like he might not be able to continue.

BOOKING! First yellow card of the day is shown to Fernando for a sliding tackle on Doumbia. He did get the ball, but the ref isn't happy with the way he went through the man to get there.

Natcho has plenty of space in front of the area but is a little off-balance when he lets fly with his left foot and the ball sails way over the top.



Fernando trips up Tosic to give CSKA a free kick about 25 yards. The Serbian dusts himself down to take the free kick, blasting it into the wall.

Early intent from City as Kolarov gets forward down the left. His shot takes a deflection before slapping into the near side-netting, with the resulting corner from Silva coming to nothing.

KICKOFF! And the home side get the second half underway.

CSKA SUB: Moscow boss Leonid Slutsky makes a half-time change, taking off defender Alexei Berezutski for Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia. 4-4-2 now for the the hosts.

It is actually snowing a little in Khimki, I guess the City players can be forgiven for wearing gloves tonight. Here's goalscorers Milner and Aguero celebrating the second goal:

Manchester City's English midfielder James Milner celebrates with Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero after scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League match at CSKA Moscow on October 21, 2014© Getty Images

If you're only just joining us and want a quick recap of the opening 45, you could do much worse than our half-time report.



No added time as the Hungarian referee blows up straight after City went close there. The visitors didn't start brilliantly but they are now well in control thanks to goals from Aguero and Milner.

HALF-TIME: CSKA 0-2 MAN CITY

CHANCE! City almost make it three just after the 45-minute mark as Kolarov has acres of space to run into down the left. He crosses into the six-yard box where Aguero is just not tall enough to stretch and divert it in.

That's very un-Silva like as the Spanish playmaker receives the ball in a great position inside the box but overruns it horribly when he could have either shot or crossed.

PENALTY SHOUT AND OFF THE POST! City want two penalties in the space of a few seconds as first Dzeko is slid in on when he was about to shoot before Milner is wiped out as he follows up and whacks the post from the loose ball.

City double their lead as Milner slides in to convert at the back post from Aguero's cross-cum-shot. The goal probably shouldn't have stood as Zabaleta looked offside when he ran onto Toure's ball over the top and headed it down for Aguero.

GOAL! CSKA 0-2 MAN CITY (MILNER)

SHOT! CSKA keeper Akinfeev makes his first save of the evening to deny Dzeko a goal after he surged forward and let fly from the edge of the area.

A couple of half-hearted appeals for a penalty from the City bench, which you can actually hear at the empty Khimki Arena, after Silva tumbled under several CSKA challenges in the area. He was crowded out more than anything.

It's hard to argue that City particularly deserve their lead, but when you have the likes of Silva and Aguero in your lineup, goals like that can always be just around the corner.

It's than man Aguero again. He now has five goals in three games against CSKA after tapping into an open goal from Dzeko's ball across the box. It all came after a delicious ball over the top from Silva that sent Dzeko through on goal. The Bosnian could have tried to score himself, but did the right thing in laying it across to his teammate.

GOAL! CSKA 0-1 MAN CITY (AGUERO)



Almost a glorious opening for Musa as he is played in on goal. His first touch is a tiny bit heavy, but Mangala is across really quickly to halt the danger.

Toure with another clever pass over the defence, this time he goes left to Milner and the Englishman should be able to divert it across goal into the path of Dzeko, but gets it all wrong.

A pass back towards Ignashevich is almost too short for the Russian, but he just gets there to stop Aguero nicking in and going through on goal. CSKA can certainly not afford any slack mistakes like that.

That's poor from Musa. The Nigerian had the ball in a promising position for CSKA but gave up on the attack after feeling that he had been fouled by Kompany. The Hungarian officials didn't agree and the chance goes.

CHANCE! City's best chance of the match falls to right-back Zabaleta, who is picked out on the right of the box by Toure's lofted pass. The Argentinian chests the ball inside his man before smacking a left-foot shot just wide of the near post.

Oddly, there are maybe a couple of hundred CSKA fans in the stadium for this 'behind-closed-doors' game. Surely UEFA will have to investigate that?

SHOT! Another long-distance effort from the hosts, this time by Tosic, that whistles wide of the far post. Hart again looked concerned and will have been glad to see it not disturb the net.

Gorgeous interplay from Aguero and Silva before the latter's attempt to pick out Dzeko in the middle is hacked clear.

CLOSE! This is really poor from Mangala as he carelessly heads the ball straight into the path of Musa, who has plenty of space to line up a shot from 25 yards. He strikes it well, but it's always swerving away and whizzes a little high and wide. Hart was certainly worried, though.

City win a free kick on the right wing that Milner sends into the box. Dzeko manages to bring it down, but can't get a shot away before Silva's attempted through-ball to Milner is overhit.

And now the home side come forward with intent for the first time as Musa slips it into Tosic. The former Manchester United man is forced wide by Kompany before his inswinging cross curls out of play on the far side.

City get the ball into the CSKA area for the first time courtesy of an incisive pass into Silva by Kolarov. The Spaniard looks to flick it off to Dzeko, but the two aren't quite on the same wavelength.

City will undoubtedly see tons of the ball in this game, but they will find it hard to break down the Russian side who play with a five-man defence. Musa will be very isolated up front for the hosts.

KICKOFF! City get us underway in Khimki. They are in their home colours of light blue and white, with CSKA's home strip red tops and royal blue shorts.

The two teams are now out on the pitch and they unite in front of a 'SAY NO TO RACISM' banner. Quite right too, given why there are no fans in the stadium tonight.

Aguero is obviously the key player for City in attack, but he often relies on Spanish wizard David Silva for his chances.


ESPN footy statistician Paul Carr tells us on Twitter that City are still second favourites to qualify from Group E. Bayern (94% chance) are obviously top, with City second on 59% and Roma third on 41%. CSKA have a 5% chance of reaching the knockouts.



PREDICTION TIME! Ten minutes until kickoff so it's time for my pre-match prediction. It really is hard to look past City given their current form and desperate need for three points. Whether the eerie stadium plays a role, we'll see, but I'm going for a 3-0 away win.

Who will be CSKA's biggest threat tonight? Ahmed Musa is the main striker and you might remember him from the World Cup this summer. He scored twice against Argentina in a 3-2 loss in the group stages in Brazil. Both were lovely goals, too.

Ahmed Musa of Nigeria celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group F match against Argentina on June 25, 2014© Getty Images

If you discount their Champions League games this season, both CSKA and City are in great form. The Russian club have won six in a row if you exclude Europe, while City are on a four-game winning streak domestically.

How are both teams getting on domestically, I hear you ask. Well, they both currently lie second in their respective leagues, with CSKA two points behind Zenit St Petersburg in the Russian Premier League, while City are five adrift of Chelsea here in England.

By the way, tonight's game at the Arena Khimki is being played behind closed doors after CSKA fans were punished for their behaviour in Rome last month.


That took Aguero level with Chelsea's Diego Costa at the top of the Premier League scoring charts with nine goals in eight games.

'Kun' netted four goals in the two matches against CSKA last season - the home leg being a 5-2 City win - and that's the same amount as he scored in one game at the weekend. Spurs could do little to stop the ingenious Argentine as he bagged all four on Saturday lunchtime.

It is almost exactly a year (363 days) since they travelled to Khimki and recorded a 2-1 win. That day Sergio Aguero scored twice either side of a Zoran Tosic strike and the Argentinian will be confident of netting again given his recent form.

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo and David Silva celebrate scoring against CSKA Moscow during their UEFA Champions League group D football match on October 23, 2013© Getty Images

City will be used to tonight's environment as they were actually in the same group as CSKA last season!

RESULTS SO FAR: Pellegrini's side were beaten 1-0 in the final minute on the opening matchday in Munich before being held to a 1-1 draw by Roma three weeks ago. CSKA started with a 5-1 drubbing in Rome before also going down 1-0 to Bayern, who are the only team in the half of the tournament that play today with a 100% record.

As you can see from our tweet earlier, City have managed just one point from their first two matches of this season's competition. CSKA are still pointless:


REFEREE WATCH! The man with the whistle at the Arena Khimki tonight is Hungary's Istvan Vad, who takes charge of his second Champions League match this season - he was also in charge of the 1-1 draw between Galatasaray and Anderlecht on matchday one.

For the hosts, it's the same starting XI from their last Champions League match - a 1-0 defeat at home to 2013 champions Bayern Munich.

CSKA XI: Akinfeev; Fernandes, V Berezutski, Ignashevich, Shchennikov, A Berezutski; Natkho, Milanov, Tosic, Eremenko; Musa
Subs: Chepchugov, Nababkin, Efremov, Cauna, Bazelyuk, Doumbia



Toure replaces Frank Lampard, who came off injured against Spurs, in midfield. Elsewhere, Bacary Sagna, Martin Demichelis, Gael Clichy and Jesus Navas come out for Pablo Zabaleta, Eliaqium Mangala, Aleksandar Kolarov and Edin Dzeko.

CITY XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Mangala, Kompany, Kolarov; Fernando; Milner, Toure, Silva; Dzeko, Aguero
Subs: Caballero, Clichy, Sagna, Demichelis, Fernandinho, Navas, Jovetic

CITY TEAM NEWS! Manuel Pellegrini makes five changes to the side that beat Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 on Saturday lunchtime. Yaya Toure is one of those recalled to the starting XI.

Afternoon all! The first encounter of matchday three in the 2014-15 Champions League takes place in the Russian capital as Premier League Champions Manchester City travel to CSKA Moscow.

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Yaya Toure of Manchester City competes with Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on September 21, 2014
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