Source: Daily_Mail
CSKA 2 Aston Villa 0: O'Neill defends the kids' stuff in Moscow
A makeshift Aston Villa[LNB]side forfeited their European place as Martin O'Neill's controversial decision to leave home without eight first-teamers saw the club's seven-month campaign come to a sorry end. [LNB]Brazilian legend Zico, the CSKA manager, paid the competition due respect by fielding his full-strength team in the cavernous Luzhniki Stadium and, although the hosts were not in total control, O'Neill's team never really came close to causing an upset. [LNB] Caught in a trap: Zat Knight attempts to keep the ball away from CSKA's Alan Dzagoev and Wagner Love[LNB]Once the game's outstanding player, winger Yuri Zhirkov, scored the first goal in the 61st minute from a neatly worked free-kick, CSKA were able to play on the counter-attack. [LNB]The truth is that Villa were spared a more comprehensive beating thanks to several high-class saves by promising American goalkeeper Brad Guzan. [LNB]The killer blow arrived in the final attack of the night when Brazilian Vagner Love streaked clear on to Zhirkov's pass and, for once, even Guzan could not rescue his team. [LNB]And so Villa's assault on the UEFA Cup, which started last July in Denmark against Odense, came to a close with a team packed full of novices as their Champions League quest took precedence over any other ambitions. [LNB]O'Neill handed full debuts to teenagers Marc Albrighton and Barry Bannan, entrusting the job of finding the all-important away goal to another rookie, 19-year-old Nathan Delfouneso. But it was not until Delfouneso's shot on the turn just moments before Love scored the decisive second that Villa posted a serious shot on goal. [LNB]'I'm disappointed we have gone out,' said O'Neill. 'We started this competition some months ago. We have played 11 or 12 games more at this stage of the season than we did last year. [LNB]'It wasn't a decision that was taken lightly. If I had thought about playing just young players, I wouldn't have come out on Tuesday and flown back on Friday. We prepared properly and correctly. [LNB] [LNB] CSKA Moscow's Sergei Ignashevich (right) challenges Aston Villa's Nathan Delfouneso[LNB]'Circumstances forced us to make the decision. But it was my decision and my decision only. I'm disappointed we were beaten. I will have to see what the rest of the season brings to find out whether that disappointment is worsened. [LNB]'But we were always in this match. We felt we were capable of scoring a goal. We had one or two opportunities to do so. We have tried our utmost, but it wasn't to be. In terms of the effort and what the young players gave us, I was delighted.'[LNB]It will obviously be debated all the way back to Birmingham by the 400 supporters who braved sub-zero temperatures as to whether O'Neill's strategy was right. [LNB]The gap between the sides was by no means a chasm. Zico claimed afterwards that his team enjoyed an 'overwhelming advantage'. That was by no means true, but the outcome must have gone pretty much perfectly for the Brazilian. [LNB]The first half was a cagey affair with CSKA clearly content to feel their way into the game, rather than grabbing it by the scruff of the neck. Villa's five-man midfield appeared more than capable of dealing with any danger. [LNB]In fact, until the second half, there was only a free-kick from Alan Dzagoev drifting past Guzan's right-hand post that caused Villa much of a problem. [LNB]Sadly, there was even less excitement around Igor Akinfeev's goal. John Carew had complained of a back problem after training on the plastic pitch on the eve of the match, leaving Delfouneso to shoulder the burden up front on his own. [LNB] CSKA Moscow's Sergei Ignashevich, right, battles for the ball with Aston Villa's Zat Knight[LNB]He received some assistance at the start of the second half when Moustapha Salifou was replaced by Marlon Harewood, with O'Neill changing his formation. Unfortunately, the effect of that was to open up the midfield area and hand the Russians the initiative.[LNB] The warning signs were there before the decisive first strike of the evening. Zhirkov had sped clear of Villa's rearguard after Milos Krasic, reportedly a target for Real Madrid, lofted a pass over the top for his teammate to run on to. Guzan spread himself well to block the left-foot shot. [LNB]But the American had little chance six minutes later when Zhirkov fired home. Curtis Davies's pleas that he had not fouled Krasic on the right-hand side of Villa's area went unheeded by German referee Felix Brych. [LNB]Zhirkov stood over the free-kick with Dzagoev. The former ran over it and peeled away to the edge of the area. Dzagoev simply tapped it to him and the midfielder fired a left-foot shot low through a cluster of players into the bottom corner of the net. [LNB]Now it was down to Guzan to keep the score down. He saved superbly from Zhirkov, Love raced into the area only to spoon a shot glaringly wide and Krasic also went close. [LNB]But Love is a player of such quality that he was bound to profit at some stage and he duly did so in added time when he raced clear of Luke Young to sidefoot the second.[LNB] 'Our season is by no means over,' said O'Neill. Villa's fans will no doubt be hoping he's right. [LNB]CSKA MOSCOW (4-5-1): Akinfeev 6; A Berezutski 6, Ignashevich 6, V Berezutski 7, Schennikov 6; Krasic 8, Rahimic 7 Semberas 6, Zhirkov 9, Dzagoev 6; Love 7. Booked: Dzagoev.ASTON VILLA (4-5-1): Guzan 8; Young 7, Knight 6, Davies 6 (Osbourne 84min), Shorey 6; Bannan 6, Sidwell 6, Salifou 5 (Harewood 46, 5) Gardner 7, Albrighton 6; Delfouneso 5. Booked: Bannan, Albrighton.Man of the match: Yuri Zhirkov.Referee: Felix Brych (Germany).[LNB] [LNB]
