City youngsters comfortably qualify for knock out stages
UEFA Youth League Cup
27th November 2013
City: O’Brien, Maffeo, Tasende, Fcey, Denayer, Glendon, Bytyqi( Barker), Fofana (Bossaerts), Bryan, Pozo, Cole (Ambrose)
Unused: Albinson (GK),Horsfield, Smith Brown, Intima
Goals: Cole (2), Pozo
City secured that they only need to draw in Munich to qualify for the knockout stages of the inaugural UEFA youth league cup with a three nil victory over group whipping boys Viktoria Plzen thanks to a brace from Devante Cole and a first goal of the season for Jose Pozo.
City started the game really well with an intense tempo as they attacked with relative ease; however despite all that forward play Cole, Pozo and Seko Fofana were making poor decisions or being that bit slow at the crucial time to allow a block or deflect the pass away.
That did continue for too long however as Pozo threaded a ball through on the left which Kean Bryan ran on to and squared a low hard cross towards the far post which Cole ran onto and fired into the empty goal.
City were then sloppy as they allowed Plzen a free shot and then a free header from the resulting corner turned behind but Billy O’Brien saved the initial shot and the header went over.
Within a minute of that near equalizer City put a little cushion on the score sheet with a well worked and taken goal finished off by Cole. The ball came in from the right and Pozo held off his marker to slip a ball into the run in the area of Sinan Bytyqi who turned and played the ball into Cole’s feet who shifted the ball and his weight to fire past the Plzen goalkeeper.
The game drifted in purpose for large parts of the game but City were a bit casual again and a run on goal near the hour mark forced O’Brien into another decent save. From that I think Vieira had seen enough of Fafana who was lucky not to be substituted at Stoke the week earlier.
That double change made a big difference and City again took control and eventually scored a third when Bytyqi was sent free on the right and he crossed into the area and there was Pozo who was able to back heel flick the ball which was deflected off the defender and into the goal to make it three and secure the points.
City will certainly have to play at a higher tempo with high levels of concentration when they travel to Munich as they have won all three games after they were thrashed six nil by City at Hyde at the beginning of October.