BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH 1, MANCHESTER CITY 1
- Manchester City start with three at the back, but change several times
- Raffael scores opening goal for Borussia Monchengladbach
- David Silva scores equaliser in first half injury time
- Both sides reduced to 10 men after the break – Lars Stindl and Fernandinho sent off
- Sergio Aguero “ok” after being seen limping in final minutes.
Manchester City earned the point they needed in Germany to ensure qualification to the Champions League knockout phase after David Silva’s equaliser cancelled out Raffael’s opener for Borussia Monchengladbach.
Silva converted Kevin De Bruyne’s low cross in first half injury time after Raffael’s rising drive beat Claudio Bravo after 23 minutes.
The home side was reduced to ten men shortly after the break when Lars Stindl was sent off for two bookable offences.
City lost Fernandinho to a second booking shortly after the hour mark after he earned his second booking of the game for pulling Raffael’s shirt.
Despite the extra space available to both teams, neither side could create enough to secure a winner and City boss Pep Guardiola will be disappointed to have conceded a goal and to struggle to get past a side who are in poor form in this season’s Bundesliga.
Celtic’s home defeat by Group C winners Barcelona ensured that City would finish second in the group as they lay four points behind the Spanish champions but three points ahead of tonight’s opponents with one game to play.
Their superior record against the Germans ensured that they could not be overtaken by them and they joined Leicester City and Arsenal in the next round.
The Gunners have already qualified for the knockout phase but must wait until the final game day to determine their final table standing which could in turn affect the choice of opponents that City could face.
Manchester City try three-man defence again
City kicked off with a three-man back line, with John Stones flanked by Nicolas Otamendi and Aleksandar Kolarov, although Pep Guardiola described it as more like “four, sometimes three.”
Fernandinho partnered Ilkay Gundogan, who returned to the starting line-up following a rest at the weekend, in the midst of speculation that he would drop into defence alongside Stones from time to time.
In front of them was Jesus Navas, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, and Raheem Sterling as a highly attacking four man line just behind Sergio Aguero.
In the end, City’s defence and formation changed several times as they struggled to cope with Monchengladbach’s pace on the break and the second half loss of Fernandinho to a red card.
The attacking riches available to City were unable to make their dominance count and they were vulnerable on the break to their hosts who saw captain Stindl shrug off a challenge from Stones to find Raffael following a deflection off the hapless Kolarov who scored their goal.
Claudio Bravo will be relieved that City weren’t further behind when his attempt to distribute the ball saw his throw-out go straight to Oscar Wendt but the Chilean saw the Swedish full-back embarrass City’s static defence before his shot was saved by the relieved goalkeeper.
It was City’s tenth straight away game in the Champions League without keeping a clean sheet and they were just as lacklustre in front of goal with Monchengladbach’s ‘keeper Yann Sommer untested until the 34th minute.
Sommer denied Aguero after Sterling’s cutback but De Bruyne found Silva with a superb cross in first half injury time and the Spaniard levelled matters.
De Bruyne’s second half drive was tipped away by Sommer as City tried to go for for a winning goal but both sides eventually settled for a draw.
There could be more injury woe for Aguero who was seen limping in the closing stages of the game although Guardiola later said he was “ok” after taking a knock.