Aalborg v Man City live!

19 March 2009 19:32
Aalborg 2 Man City 0. We go to penalties. Who will be the hero and who will be the villain? We are about to find out.[LNB]30 Rather than lump the ball into the box, City decide to play backwards. Why not take a chance?[LNB]29 Late drama as Tracy bursts past Onuoha. The City man does not panic, though, and gets back to put in a last-ditch tackle.[LNB]28 City's turn to play keep-ball and run down the clock. They do then look to push forward, but Elano fails to control a simple pass and the ball rolls out of play.[LNB]26 Kristensen involved for the first time as Aalborg knock the ball among themselves in midfield. I suggest we end the game now because this is ridiculous.[LNB]25 For the record, did anyone have the 14/1 on Aalborg to win 2-0 here tonight. If so, fair play to you.[LNB]24 Both teams appear to have settled for penalties. Neither wants to concede now and are putting little into the game.[LNB]23 Elano tries to pick out Caicedo as City counter, but Aalborg get men back and hammer the ball to safety.[LNB]22 City push their luck again as Aalborg pile forward. Another corner to the hosts. Nomvete takes, but he catches it wrong and it dribbles towards the first man.[LNB]21 City struggle to clear their lines and find themselves camped inside their own box.[LNB]20 Shelton tries his luck from 30-yards and wins a corner as his shot takes a nick on its way through.[LNB]19 Dreadful effort from Johansson as he tries a 35-yard volley. He gets it all wrong and skews his shot towards the corner flag.[LNB]18 Richards concedes a corner under pressure from the impressive Nomvete. City deal with the set-piece comfortably.[LNB]17 Elano makes his entrance as Kompnay makes way.[LNB]17 Nervy moment again for Given as he gets a poor back-pass and is put under pressure from Shelton.[LNB]16 Elano is set to become City's final throw of the dice. He would definitely be one to take a spot kick should be go all the way.[LNB] Aalborg get the final 15 minutes up and running.[LNB] Caca off and Kristensen comes on in his place[LNB] Aalborg 2 Man City 0. On we go and penalties is looking increasingly likely.[LNB]15 Garrido with another free-kick fails to find a team-mate. City didn't even bother to send Dunne up. Playing for penalties?[LNB]14 Garrido lofts a free-kick into the box, but fails to pick out a blue shirt. Poor delivery as he had it curling away from goal and everyone was attacking the target.[LNB]13 Shelton and Nomvete both go for the same ball and the former can't direct a header goalwards.[LNB]12 SWP superbly past two men and squares to Ireland. He is closed down quickly and his snap-shot fails to trouble the target.[LNB]11 Ireland tries to inject some pace into the City attack, but is stopped by Lasse Nielsen.[LNB]10 Caicedo goes down as he tries to brush past his man, but nothing doing. He doesn't complain and there were few appeals.[LNB]10 Sloppy from Jakobsen as he concedes a needless thrown deep in his own half.[LNB]9 Given comes and punches the set-piece and gets enough on it to see the danger out.[LNB]8 Johansson drills low and sees his effort spin away off Dunne for a corner.[LNB]7 After their thrilling climax to the 90 minutes, Aalborg have gone off the boil again. They should be throwing everything at City, who must still be reeling.[LNB]6 Robinho is the man to make way for Caicedo.[LNB]6 Ireland, from fully 30-yards, drills high, wide and handsome. Poor effort.[LNB]5 Caicedo is stripped and ready. Can he bring a different dimension to City?[LNB]4 What is it with City away from home this season? They don't need this with Premier League action coing up at the weekend.[LNB]3 SWP tries to add some spark to City's play but is cut down in his stride. I wouldn't like to say which way this is going to go.[LNB]2 Aalborg are now the side full of confidence and they have to be favourites to progress.[LNB]1 Richards breaks into the box, but with no support he needs to hold it rather than knock a pointless ball into the middle.[LNB] Here we go again as City get extra-time underway.[LNB] Aalborg 2 Man City 0. We go to extra-time. City were cruising, but fell to pieces. Have they got enough left to lift themselves for another 30 minutes?[LNB]90+3 Shelton crashes into Given as they challenge for a cross. Free-kick goes to the City keeper, but the Blues are rocking.[LNB]90+2 How has this happened? City can only have themselves to blame, though, for retreating into their shell.[LNB]90 GOAL AALBORG - JAKOBSEN. All square as Jakobsen smashes into the top corner. Great spot kick. Looks like we are heading to extra-time![LNB]90 Penalty to Aalborg. Jakobsen's flick hits Evans on the arm and the referee points to the spot.[LNB]89 Tracy's first couch lets him down and allows Richards to clear. He would have been in on goal had he brought the ball down.[LNB]88 Nomvete bursts past Richards and almost finds Shelton in the centre. Zabaleta gets back to help clear the danger.[LNB]87 Poor from Caca as he reaches the by-line and then knocks a cross behind.[LNB]86 City are rattled and need to regroup if they are to avoid conceding a second![LNB]85 GOAL AALBORG - SHELTON. Game on. Former Sheffield United man Shelton uses his strength to create a yard in the box and he fires a volley past Given.[LNB]83 Evans forces Zaza into a smart save as City take advantage of the open spaces which are opening up.[LNB]82 Robino hits the bar! Aalborg Ireland squeezes a cross to the Brazlian and he lashes against the woodwork from 10-yards out. That could have settled things once and for all.[LNB]82 Evans again causing problems as he bursts into the box. He goes down under Lasse Nielsen's outstrecteched leg, but only gets corner.[LNB]81 Evans does well to waste a bit of time as he holds the ball up and scampers towards the corner.[LNB]80 Terrific balls sends Shelton clear. However, he struggles to deal with a bouncing ball and scuffs a hot goalwards. Given has his near post covered and easily keeps the effort out. Good move and a shame for the hosts that they couldn't do more with it.[LNB]78 Risgaard makes way for Tracy. Safe to say Risgaard is not very happy. He gives the fourth official a mouthful and then punches the dug out.[LNB]77 Caca does better with a second corner, flighting to the back post. Nomvete almost gets a head to the ball, but it flashes across the face of goal.[LNB]76 Nomvete forces Dunne into conceding a corner. Caca has two attempts at getting the ball into the box and fails on each occasion.[LNB]75 City need to establish a period of possession because they are being forced to do a lot of running at the minute.[LNB]74 Another close shave for City as Johansson robs Robinho and sees a deflected effort skid inches past the post. Aalborg then waste the corner.[LNB]73 The visitors are offering very little going forward now. Hughes could do to make a change.[LNB]72 City continue to defend resolutely and are giving Aalborg nothing in and around the box. Dunne and Onuoha have been solid. Ireland is back with us.[LNB]71 Ireland appears to have twisted his ankle. He is led from the field and may not return.[LNB]70 Ireland is down and requires treatment. Meanwhile, yet another penalty shot goes begging for the hosts. Onuoha with a slight push in the back of Risgaard on this occasion.[LNB]69 The ref is not making many friends. He is giving a lot of deicisions City's way and calls Aalbrog back when they take a quick free-kick of their own.[LNB]68 Another penalty claim for the hosts. Beauchamp goes to ground under pressure from Onuoha, but is clearly diving and is advised to get to his feet. He is rightly shown a yellow card.[LNB]67 Kompany brings Bogelund crashing to the turf with a high boot. No card, fortunately for the City man.[LNB]66 Good claim by Given as he comes to take a high ball into the box. He has been rarely worked tonight and will be glad for a touch.[LNB]65 City are getting deeper and deeper. Could be a dangerous tactic.[LNB]64 Almighty scramble in the City box, which the Blues survive. Bogelund, Shelton and Caca all appear to have a sight of goal, only to then see the door slammed in their face. Aalborg looking bright for the first time.[LNB]63 SWP bustles past a couple of challenges, but is then stopped in his tracks by Beauchamp. He had no-one up with him and was up against three defenders![LNB]62 Will that prove to be a turning point in the game. If Aalborg had got one back it would really have brought proceedings to life.[LNB]61 Risgaard is cautioned for complaining to the referee.[LNB]61 City get numbers back to keep Shelton and Caca at bay. Another penalty shout for Aalborg then goes begging as Garrido fells Johansson. The City man is a lucky boy as he didn't get the ball.[LNB]60 Shelton looks to get on the end of a decent through-ball, but Onuoha comes across to clear his lines. At the other end SWP fails to find Evans when well placed on the right.[LNB]59 Aalborg concede a free-kick and then prevent City from taking it by kicking the ball away. Do they no realise that time-wasting is harming them, not helping them?[LNB]58 Dunne clears a hanging cross. The ball drops to Risgaard, but he drags well wide.[LNB]57 Frustration for Kompany as he urges his team-mates to up the tempo and take a hold of the game. At least someone is fired up![LNB]56 Evans looks to escape in behind, but is prevented from doing so by Lasse Nielsen. The Welshman needs to put his earlier miss out of his mind and focus on creating another opportunity.[LNB]55 Bridge has taken a slight knock and is replaced by Garrido.[LNB]54 Given is worried for a moment as Caca fires a volley goalwards. He doesn't catch it cleanly, though, and it drifts just past the post.[LNB]53 Needless free-kicks infiltrate the game and Kompany goes into the book for delaying the taking of a set-piece.[LNB]52 Aalborg surrender possession with alarming regularity and are doing themselves no favours. Despite knowing they need two goals they have offered very little to the contest.[LNB]51 Clear sight of goal for Evans and he skies it miles over the top. It took a bobble, but that is dreadful! I'm starting to lose faith that we are going to get a goal![LNB]50 SWP gets out muscled as he tries to burst through the middle of two defenders.[LNB]49 Evans' deflected shot loops over Zaza's head and drops inches over the top. Almost a breakthrough early in the second half. Aalborg see the corner to safety.[LNB]48 Evans continues to put himself about with little reward. He will be hoping to get a partner at some stage.[LNB]47 Jakobsen throws a hopeful cross into the box. Risgaard goes down under a challenge from Bridge, but the referee waves away the protests. Probably the right decision - it was only a coming together.[LNB]46 Aalborg know what is needed, can they do it? City have no need to push forward and are likley to sit tight and see this out.[LNB] Aalborg get us underway again.[LNB] Due makes way for Nomvete at the break.[LNB] Carsten Nielsen is keeping the faith and sees City scoring on the counter. He has been impressed by Richards, and in fairness he has been the best of a bad bunch![LNB] You can also bet inplay at skybet.com. Aalborg are now 100/30 to take the win, with City 11/10. A goalless draw is available 13/5.[LNB] Remeber you can get in touch throughout the game by contacting me direct at Chris.Burton@bskyb.com. How is the second half going to play out? Are we going to see a goal![LNB] Aalborg 0 Man City 0. The hosts have been very disappointing, while City have been workmanlike. They are halfway there and they appear certain to be in the draw for the quarter-finals.[LNB]45 Let's hope we are in for better after the break becasue this has been a very forgettable game so far. One minute of stoppage time to be played.[LNB]44 Corner breaks to Zabaleta on the edge of the box, He sets himself and then fires narrowly wide. About as close as we have come a goal.[LNB]43 Needless to say Robinho produces a moment of magic as he breezes past Bogelund and forces Zaza into a smart save at his near post.[LNB]42 Without wanting to jump on a bandwagon, Robinho has done very little here tonight. City have not been at their best all round, but at least Ireland, SWP and Evans have got involved.[LNB]41 Shelton towers above Bridge to win a header at the back post and is unlucky not to find a team-mate. Aalborg are down to 10 while Due gets treatment.[LNB]40 Due is downed by Zabaleta and remains on the deck. Didn't look like much, but he appears to be in some discomfort.[LNB]39 Richards busts a gut to overlap SWP, who delays too long and is caught in possession. Another example of the lack of urgency on display.[LNB]38 SWP is limping slightly. He looks like he can struggle on to the interval.[LNB]37 City need to get another striker on because it's just not happening for them. I know they have no need to score, but attack is the best form of defence![LNB]36 Tackles fly in and eventually Aalborg get the decision. SWP does jump in a bit on Jakobsen and is slightly fortunate to avoid a caution.[LNB]35 Richards measures a clever ball towards Ireland, but Lasse Nielsen comes across to thump clear.[LNB]34 The fans here are quite a spectacle. They are constantly moving. It is cold, maybe they do it to keep warm![LNB]33 Ireland lifts a clever ball in behind the defence for Robinho to gallop after. Unfortunately, the Brazilian has gone too soon and is pulled back by the linesman's flag.[LNB]32 Dunne carries the ball out defence and just keeps on going. He then finds Evans, but his pass towards the unmarked Ireland sees the midfielder flagged offisde.[LNB]31 Woeful pass from Kompany as he looks to spread play wide to Richards. Just about sums up the first 30 minutes.[LNB]30 City need to be careful not to start sitting too deep and inviting pressure. From what I have seen of Aalborg they are there for the taking and Hughes' men need to believe in their own ability.[LNB]29 Aalborg counter, but lack pace and allow City to regroup. Bogelund lifts a high cross into the heart of the box, which Dunne nods clear. Both sides lacking quality in the final third.[LNB]28 Given almost gets caught on the ball by Shelton as he dallies on a back-pass before clearing his lines. The last thing City need is to gift Aalborg a route back into the tie![LNB]27 Robinho caught offside as he attempts to latch onto a long Given clearance. No need as he was looking along the line.[LNB]26 Another half chance as Due's effort flicks off Dunne, wrong-foots Given, and drifts behind. City deal the resulting corner but were rocking there for a minute.[LNB]26 Due with a great ball to the front post which Onuoha does well to knock behind with Shelton lurking behind him. First sign of a threat from Aalborg.[LNB]25 More hopeful punts from Aalborg which fail to test City. the hosts need to try Plan B - if they have one![LNB]24 Ireland carries to the edge of the box, tries to feed SWP, but plays a sloppy pass. City look dangerous until they get in and around the area, then they fall to pieces.[LNB]23 Bridge finds himself as the furthest man forward, with Evans dropping deep to get involved, but his run is tracked well by Bogelund.[LNB]22 City are getting plenty of bodies behind the ball whenever they are on the backfoot and I can't see any way for Aalborg to get back into this contest.[LNB]21 Aalborg are having a bit more joy of late, but are still not posing much of a threat. The crowd are almost silent and that should force the hosts to buck up their ideas.[LNB]20 Shelton and Caca combine to win a throw deep in City territory. It is watsed, though, as Bogelund and Johansson find themselves on different wavelengths.[LNB]19 Richards escapes down the right and gets to the by-line. He looks to pull the ball back to the waiting Evans, but only picks out an Aalborg defender. Promising again from City and they are only lacking a final ball at present.[LNB]18 Another ambitious effort from Ireland as he looks to find the top corner from 25-yards. He gets the curl, but no the direction and sees the ball sail into the crowd.[LNB]17 Good play by Caca as he snaps away at Robinho and wins possession back for his side. Two Brazilians going head-to-head and giving no quarter.[LNB]16 Nice build up lay by City almost presents Evans with a chance, but he is crowded out. Robinho, Ireland Bridge all involved as City sliced through with ease.[LNB]16 Bogelund makes headway down the right, then slips and City rob him of possession. Just not happening for the hosts at the moment.[LNB]15 Lasse Nielsen leaves a dangerous ball into the box and Evans almost benefits. Zaza is quick off his line to claim the ball, but the Aalborg defence looked far from solid there.[LNB]14 First touch for Given as he races to the edge of the area and takes a long ball right on the edge of the box. Shelton was sniffing around so he did well to be alert to the danger.[LNB]13 City win another corner as Ireland's shot is deflected behind. Decent delivery, but it is dealt with at the near post. Onuoha then concedes a free-kick and the attack comes to an end.[LNB]12 Due and Shelton combine down the left, but once again they are muscled off the ball. Kompany is sitting deep and keeping things ticking over in the middle of the park.[LNB]11 Robinho yet to get into the game. He could be the one to provide the flash of brilliance we need to get things moving.[LNB]10 Aalborg are just lumping long balls forward and are getting nowhere fast. Dunne and Onuoha are big lads and they are not going to be knocked around easily.[LNB]9 Few chances so far and the game is being played at a pace usually reserved for testimonials. We need something to light the fuse, get the crowd going and liven things up![LNB]8 Richards looks to bundle his way past Jakobsen, but hauls his opponent to the floor on his way past. The full-back is prepared to bomb forward when required.[LNB]7 City's lead is allowing them to play with freedom and they look very comfortable.[LNB]6 Aalborg move forward promisingly with Johansson, but are soon forced to retreat as they are met by a blue wall. Risgaard and Caca are both foiled as they try to find a way through.[LNB]5 Ireland floats a free-kick into the box but fails to pick out a blue shirt. Aalborg struggle to clear their lines, though, and concede a corner. They take three attempts to deal with the set-piece, but eventually see out the danger.[LNB]4 City dominating possession early on and are looking bright. Few nice touches by SWP and Ireland bodes well.[LNB]3 Wayne Bridge is feeling a bit under the weather I am told. Fair play to him for getting involved tonight, but is he going to last the course?[LNB]2 Wright-Phillips wriggles past two defenders and picks out Ireland. He strikes first time, but sees a well-hit effort cannon off an Aalborg defender. Positive start by City.[LNB]1 Evans is going to have a lot of work to do tonight. He is playing as a lone frontman, but has already drifted out wide. Can he succeed on his own up top?[LNB] City get us up and running.[LNB] Andy Gascoigne is surprised to see Robinho, given the Brazilian's away form. He is hoping, though, that the South American superstar can be on top of his game tonight. He is going for a draw, but would love to see City brush off their away-day blues in spectacular style. The time for talking is over, the teams are out and we are ready for the off![LNB] Kenneth McGawley, on holiday in Africa but keeping tabs on proceedings, thinks Ched Evans will deliver the tricks for Manchester City tonight and help the Blues to a 3-0 win. With kick-off fast approaching we are about to find out who will be booking a place in the last eight.[LNB]Man City team: Given, Richards, Dunne, Onuoha, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Zabaleta, Kompany, Ireland, Robinho, Evans. Subs: Hart, Berti, Garrido, Elano, Fernandes, Caicedo, Etuhu.[LNB]Aalborg team: Zaza, Bogelund, Lasse Nielsen, Jakobsen, Beauchamp, Due, Johansson, Augustinussen, Caca, Risgaard, Shelton. Subs: Kenneth Nielsen, Sorensen, Nomvethe, Tracy, Kristensen, Ronnie Nielsen, Dalsgaard.[LNB] Doug Cook, tuning in from the States, is also throwing his weight behind City. He thinks Stephen Ireland will be the man to pull the strings in the middle of park and claims he is already looking forward to the next round. Nice to see confidence is high prior to kick-off.[LNB] Carsten Nielsen, a Danish Blue, is first to get in touch and is backing City to progress comfortably. He does expect Aalborg to put up a fight, but sees Richard Dunne settling the contest early on. Let's see.[LNB] You can also bet inplay at skybet.com. Aalborg begin the game as 2/1 outsiders, with City available at 5/4. It's 14/1 for the hosts to win 2-0 and take the tie to extra-time.[LNB] How do you see the game going? Can City march on or will Aalborg cause an upset? Who are the men to keep an eye on? Let me know your thoughts.[LNB] You can air your opinions throughout the game by contacting me direct at Chris.Burton@bskyb.com.[LNB] City hold a 2-0 lead heading into the second leg of this encounter and will feel that they already have one foot in the quarter-finals. A composed performance in Denmark would see them safely through to the last eight and a step closer to continental silverware. A top-seven finish in the Premier League is not out of question just yet for Mark Hughes' men, but this competition could also represent their best chance of securing European football for next season.[LNB]Welcome to our coverage of tonight's Uefa Cup clash between Aalborg and Manchester City.[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports