Source: Team_Talk
City win Dublin Super Cup opener
Shaun Wright-Phillips and Adam Johnson scored as Manchester City beat an Airtricity Irish XI 3-0 in Saturday's Dublin Super Cup opener.[LNB] Wright-Phillips and Johnson both produced fine second-half finishes before substitute trialist Luca Scapuzzi added a third late on, as City recorded a laboured but overall satisfactory win in the Irish capital.[LNB]Gareth Barry captained City in the absence of the still holidaying and soon to be disposed of Carlos Tevez, while Wright-Phillips, Stefan Savic and Johnson were the more illustrious of his team-mates on show.[LNB]The Aviva Stadium is a beautiful addition to a fine capital city but much of the football on show in the first half lacked any real incision or cohesion; not surprising given this was a City side that had never previously played together.[LNB]Credit to the Airtricity XI though as they were well organised and more than a match for their Premier League counterparts, whose best chance of the first half saw Wright-Phillips test Ger Doherty with an angled drive.[LNB]Johnson fizzed one over after cutting onto his left foot but City were largely subdued by an Irish side rich in endeavour if lacking a cutting edge in the final third.[LNB]As Johnson grew disheartened with a lack of service he began to wander and almost profited when in a more central role he side-footed a yard wide from Vladimir Weiss' pullback. [LNB]Wright-Phillips has enjoyed a productive pre-season to date and so it continued just after the break when he scored a goal of genuine quality, out of keeping with much of what had preceded it.[LNB]Barry was the architect with a raking pass and after letting the ball drop over his shoulder Wright-Phillips did his best David Platt impersonation circa 1990 as he slammed a fine volley beyond Doherty.[LNB]As if awoken from his relative slumber by his fellow winger's moment of opportunism Johnson then reminded Mancini of his own qualities by doubling City's lead.[LNB]Again it was Barry who played the provider as his pass dissected Airtricity's backline to allow Johnson to register with a smart finish with the outside of his left foot.[LNB]The highly-rated James McClean showed the odd moment of promise as Airtricity rallied but Stuart Taylor in City's goal was never really tested.[LNB]City substitute Scapuzzi made it three five minutes from time when he converted Johnson's smart slide-rule pass.[LNB]City did what they had to do but rarely got out of second gear in a performance that is unlikely to give Sergio Aguero too many sleepless nights as he looks to start next week's Community Shield against Manchester United.
