City stroll through

26 August 2010 22:00
Manchester City achieved their goal of reaching the group stages of the Europa League with the minimum of fuss, beating Timisoara 2-0. Holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg of the play-off in Romania they coasted through in front of their own fans. Shaun-Wright Phillips made the breakthrough and Dedryk Boyata extended their lead with his first goal for the club. Manager Roberto Mancini rang the changes and kept only four of the side that started in the 3-0 victory against Liverpool on Monday. Vincent Kompany was named captain while goalkeeper Joe Hart, Micah Richards and Nigel De Jong were also retained. After dominating the early stages, City eventually got their reward in the 42nd minute and made it 2-0 on aggregate with a fine move. De Jong picked out Patrick Vieira and he split the defence with a glorious through-ball to Wright-Phillips. The England winger, who started on the bench against Liverpool, had little hesitation in rattling a shot beyond the goalkeeper. City made it 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate in the 59th minute thanks to Boyata. The 20-year-old defender climbed high at the back post to thump a header into the net following a free-kick from David Silva and savoured the moment after a fine finish.

Source: PA