Manchester City #2: Met Oliesjeiks en samba Brazilianen

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Op zondag 7 september 2008 01:16 schreef mcyodogg het volgende:
Fabregas over een transfer naar City: "It would be suicidal for my career at 21 years of age to move to City. It would make no sense."

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Robinho: 'Ik verkoop liever koek dan dat ik bij Real blijf'
08/09/2008 17:54

Robinho wilde ten koste van alles Real Madrid verlaten, legde zaakwaarnemer Wagner Ribeiro uit tijdens een interview. De Braziliaanse aanvaller had geen enkele zin meer nog te voetballen voor de Spaanse club.

'Voorzitter Ramón Calderón zei dat Robinho naar geen enkele club zou vertrekken, als die niet het vereiste bedrag voor Robinho betaalde', begint Wagner Ribeiro zijn relaas op Radio Jovem Pan. 'En Robinho antwoordde: Presidente, ik wil hier niet blijven. Ik verkoop nog liever koek op de markt dan dat ik hier blijf.'

Ribeiro legde tegelijkertijd uit dat de transfer van Robinho naar Manchester City een centenkwestie was. Volgens de zaakwaarnemer was de overgang naar Chelsea bijna afgerond, toen 'in de laatste minuut' voordat de transfermarkt dicht ging Manchester City een bod van veertig miljoen euro uitbracht.

'Ik stond op het punt een vliegtuig naar Londen te pakken en had al met Robinho gevierd dat hij naar Chelsea zou gaan, toen ik een telefoontje kreeg of ik naar Bernabéu wilde komen. Het was 22.45 uur toen ik op kantoor aankwam en directeur José Angel Sánchez me vroeg of Robinho zou willen spelen voor Manchester City. Ik antwoordde hem dat Robinho overal wilde spelen behalve in Madrid.'

'Chelsea deed er nog alles aan en directeur Peter Kenyon belde me wanhopig om te vragen wat er aan de hand was. Maar ik was er zeker van dat Madrid en Chelsea niet meer tot een akkoord zouden komen over een transfersom van veertig miljoen euro, dus zei ik Ja tegen City. Hun belangstelling was een prachtige verrassing.'

Robinho bevestigde de lezing van zijn zaakwaarnemer. 'In mijn hoofd was ik al bij Chelsea, maar dat is nu voorbij. Ik weet dat Luiz Felipe Scolari boos is, maar dit soort dingen gebeurt nu eenmaal. Als ik tegen Chelsea speel, zal ik ze laten zien dat ze er verkeerd aan hebben gedaan hun bod niet te verhogen. Tot City met die aanbieding kwam, had ik helemaal niet aan die club gedacht.'

Ribeiro meldde ten slotte dat Real zelf de schuldige is aan het vertrek van Robinho, door de Braziliaan ongewild te betrekken in onderhandelingen over een transfer van Cristiano Ronaldo van Manchester United. 'De trots van Robinho raakte gekrenkt en hij was vervolgens met geen geld meer te behouden.'

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Op maandag 8 september 2008 10:50 schreef Blight het volgende:

[..]

Mooi zo. Investeren in de jeugd.

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Op donderdag 4 september 2008 15:45 schreef mcyodogg het volgende:
Robinho is een grote grap. Op zaterdag zeggen 'Only Chelsea is in my heart' op een speciaal door hem belegde persconferentie en dan twee dagen later ergens anders tekenen waar hij 20k per week meer krijgt.

Gelukkig voor hem is het dalijk Manchester City-Chelsea en niet andersom, anders was hij van het ene fluitconcert uit Madrid gevallen in het andere.

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Hughes hails dynamic Zabaleta 09/09/2008 12:24

City’s new Argentinean defender Pablo Zabaleta will be keen to prove himself as an instant hit following his move from Espanyol.
That’s the opinion of manager Mark Hughes, who moved for the 23-year-old a couple of days before the summer transfer window closed.

Subsequent business in the market, and Shaun Wright-Phillips’ triumphant return at Sunderland just hours after mcfc.co.uk announced Zabaleta’s arrival may have pushed the Argentinean pout of the spotlight, but his new club manager is a long-term fan.

Hughes explains: “Pablo is acknowledged as one of the bright young talents in European football who has also been pushing to get into the full Argentinean squad. He’s an Olympic gold medal winner, which is a great bonus for him.

“I saw him a few times when he was at Espanyol , and I wanted to nick him at what I thought would be a decent price on a few occasions. He was always a bit out of my range in my previous job, but I was glad that we could revisit that one here.

“I’m delighted that we brought him here, people are going to see that he’s a high-energy player, he has a real desire to win and he’s very dynamic. We had a brief conversation when he signed, he is really excited about coming to the Premier League. This league’s attraction really stimulates players from abroad like Pablo, and I’m sure that we will see that in his play.”

Tim Oscroft

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Prijzig 'privétripje' voor City-ster Robinho van onze Telesportredactie

MANCHESTER - Sinds Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) het Engelse Manchester City heeft opgekocht, gebeuren er opmerkelijke dingen bij de club uit de Premier League. De Arabische investeerdersgroep baarde direct opzien door Robinho van Real Madrid over te nemen. Nu laten zij diezelfde voetbalster met een privéjet ophalen in Rio de Janeiro, waar Robinho met Brazilië een WK-kwalificatieduel afwerkte. Ook Pablo Zabaleta (Argentinië), Jô en Elano (beiden Brazilië) worden in Zuid-Amerika opgepikt.

De kosten van de trip worden geraamd op zo'n slordige 190.000 euro. Een schijntje voor de multi-miljardairs uit Arabië. Manchester City wil zaterdag in ieder geval koste wat kost met het sterkste elftal aantreden tegen het Chelsea van de andere geldmagnaat, Roman Abramovitsj.

Wanneer het viertal van Manchester City via de reguliere vluchten richting Engeland had moeten terugkeren, dan waren zij niet op tijd geweest voor het treffen met Chelsea. "Daarom hebben we het op deze manier opgelost", aldus trainer Mark Hughes. "De kans is groot dat Robinho zaterdag speelt. Het is belangrijk dat een speler zo snel mogelijk wordt opgenomen in de selectie."

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Buoyant boss looking forward to Chelsea clash 12/09/2008 14:45


A buoyant Mark Hughes has hinted that he might well call on his British record transfer signing Robinho as City take on Chelsea tomorrow at the City of Manchester Stadium.

The 5.30pm kick-off is completely sold-out as Shaun Wright-Phillips’s return, coupled with the signing of the Brazilian striker from under the noses of Chelsea has created a great atmosphere around the city in the build up to the game.

And speaking ahead of the clash, Manager Mark Hughes told us: “It has been a fantastic time, there is a huge amount of interest surrounding the Club and what’s happening here.

“The acquisition of some top-quality players has captured people’s imaginations but we have been in limbo due to the international break.”

With City’s South American quartet all arriving safely at Carrington this morning, Hughes has to ponder a home debut for Jô, the second coming of Wright-Phillips as well as full debuts for Pablo Zabaleta and of course Robinho.

“I think there’s a fair chance that he will be involved at some point!" Hughes joked of his record buy. “We need to see if he, along with the others are back fit and well, but the intention is that he plays a part.

“By all accounts he did not pick up any injuries and played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday night, I’ve seen the highlights, but we should get a full report on it.

“The impression when you watch him play is that as soon as he gets the ball, you sense that something is going to happen. I think everyone will see that at the weekend.

“On the day I met him, one of the first things he said was that he could not wait for the game because he wanted to play against Chelsea, which can only be a good thing.

“It was an exciting day for everyone around the Club and moving on from then the excitement has not lessened at all.

“We are really looking forward to getting back to playing football, and the Chelsea fixture is the perfect one for us, given the circumstances.”

Leon Collins

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Op zaterdag 13 september 2008 12:18 schreef Fortitudo het volgende:
hey ik wist niet dat wright phillips weer bij city speelde. hoeveel heeft hij gekost? hopelijk niet teveel

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Manchester City

Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid for a fee of ¤40m;
Brazilian defender Glauber Berti from Nurnberg;
Argentinean midfielder Zabaleta from Espanyol for a fee of ¤8.7m;
Midfielder Shaun Wright-Phillips from Chelsea for a fee of ¤11.3m;
Belgian defender Vincent Kompany from Hamburger for a fee of ¤8.5m;
Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim from Chelsea for a fee of ¤6.4m;
Brazilian forward Jo from CSKA Moscow for a fee of ¤24m.

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Hughes looking to match Chelsea's standards

Mark Hughes sees the challenge of facing league leaders Chelsea on Saturday as the perfect yardstick for his City side.
With all the media attention that has been focussed on City over the last two weeks, Hughes is more than happy to talk about the small matter of facing Phil Scolari’s side at a sold-out City of Manchester Stadium, the current team of a club that he served with distinction in the mid-1990s.

“They are a top-quality side,” says Hughes, “and as a club they have been building for some time, even prior to Roman Abramovich ploughing huge amounts into the club. Even in my time there, over 10 years ago, we had started to win trophies and I was part of a team that won silverware for Chelsea for the first time in 20 years.

“Year on year from then they have been improving as a club, and then the money that came in added to the team.

“They are obviously a long way further down the line in development than we are starting from, but they are there to be knocked down. We back ourselves against any given 11 players on a Saturday, but we will give them a great amount of respect because that is what they deserve given their recent success.

“We want to be successful as quickly as possible, so this is a good marker for us. We can test how well we are doing, and it will test the attitude and determination of the group that I have here.”

Tim Oscroft

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Op zaterdag 13 september 2008 17:51 schreef sjimz het volgende:
toegevoegd in de OP!

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Manchester City v Chelsea

City: Hart, Zabaleta, Dunne (c), Richards, Ball, Kompany, Hamann, Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Robinho, Jo.
unused subs: Schmeichel, Ben Haim, Elano, Garrido, Fernandes, Evans, Sturridge.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole, Malouda, Mikel Obi, J Cole, Deco, Anelka.
unused subs: Hilario, Ivanovic, Bridge, Kalou, Alex, Belletti, Drogba.

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Op zaterdag 13 september 2008 18:33 schreef Manu82 het volgende:
Welke mongool heeft bedacht om een vliegtuigje met reclame voor BT op een rood shirt over het stadion te laten vliegen

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Op zaterdag 13 september 2008 18:34 schreef sjimz het volgende:

[..]

Volgens mij was het meer een sneer naar Manchester United toe maar ik kan het ook mis hebben.

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Op zaterdag 13 september 2008 18:38 schreef Manu82 het volgende:

[..]

Ik weet het niet, zag hem maar heel even in beeld, en denk dat BT ook geen schenen wil trappen bij UTD...

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Manchester City v Chelsea
Saturday September 13, 2008, 5.30pm
City of Manchester Stadium- Att: 47, 331

Teams

City: Hart, Zabaleta, Dunne (c), Richards, Ball (Sturridge 84), Kompany, Hamann (Fernandes 62), Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Robinho, Jo.

Chelsea: Cech, Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry (c), A Cole, Malouda (Drogba 70), Mikel Obi, J Cole (Belletti 70), Deco, Anelka (Alex 79).

Goals: 1-0 (Robinho 13), 1-1 (Carvalho 16), 1-2 (Lampard 53), 1-3 (Anelka 69)

Bookings:
City:

Chelsea: Mikel Obi (44)
Red card: J Terry (76)

Referee: M Halsey

The Match

Five minutes were on the clock when the record signing showed off his skills for the first time, jinking onto his left to supply Wright-Phillips, whose weak shot rolled a long way wide of Cech’s left post. Frank Lampard had the first shot on target five minutes later, but it flew straight at Joe Hart.

And we only had to wait another three minutes to see some true Brazilian magic as City took the lead. Carvalho hauled Jo down on the edge of the box, dead centre, Robinho lined it up and curled a beautiful goal into the left corner of the net! Cech was motionless, the ball having deflected off Mikel , and the stadium exploded with noise.

But the lead lasted just three minutes – a corner fell nicely to Joe Cole, who touched it back to Ricardo Carvalho, and the defender made up for giving the earlier free kick away by slamming the ball high into the net with Joe Hart unsighted behind Cole.

There was no let up to the frantic pace, with John Terry’s blatant body-check on SWP going unpunished, The Chelsea skipper appeared to handle the ball seconds later, but to Mark Hughes’ disgust this also was ignored by Mark Halsey.

Stephen Ireland went close at the half’s midway point, his shot from the edge of the area following a nice lay-off from Jo just inches over the bar with Cech well beaten. Four minutes later the visitors nearly took the lead, Malouda just staying onside and heading Joe Cole’s cross onto the bar with Hart grateful that the ball rebounded right to him.

Jo’s curled shot off his left foot was deflected over on 34 minutes, and four minutes later Malouda looked to have gone close with a flying header from inside the box, but thankfully the ball ended up going well wide. Zabaleta’s misplaced pass out of defence went straight to Anelka on 40 minutes, but the former City man’s poor shot did not test Hart. Ashley Cole’s effort in stoppage time skimmed the bar to bring the curtain down on an entertaining first half.

No changes came at the break, and Frank Lampard had the first chance of the second half. Joe Cole’s pass took a huge deflection off Ball and landed perfectly for the England man – but he snatched at the chance and the ball went over the bar.

But unfortunately he made amends on 53 minutes. Kompany looked to be fouled in Chelsea’s half, and the visitors broke at pace downfield, and after an exchange of passes Frank Lampard was in City’s box to bury the ball past Hart with his left foot.

The London side were in the ascendency now, with Anelka looking for a penalty on the hour just before John Terry’s header from a corner went just past the post.

SWP broke free on 64 to set up Ireland, but after taking a touch to line his shot up, the Irishman was blocked by Carvalho’s last-ditch dive. Lampard tried to make it a double at the other end with a well-hit shot going straight into Hart’s bread-basket.

Nicolas Anelka made up for his earlier miss when he scored once more against his former side. Joe Cole’s slide-rule pass home from inside the box,split the City defence and the French striker ruthlessly drilled the ball, giving Hart no chance.

Nicolas Anelka made up for his earlier miss when he scored once more against his former side. Joe Cole’s slide-rule pass home from inside the box split the City defence and the French striker ruthlessly drilled the ball, giving Hart no chance.

Just as we thought the visitors would coast for the rest of the game, a moment of madness from John Terry reduced his side to 10 men with 14 minutes left. Jo broke clear past the England skipper, who after trying to get him with his foot decided to pull the Brazilian back anyway. Mark Halsey loked to have no option but to show the red card, although the current move to show respect for the referee appeared to go out of the window when five Chelsea players argued the toss.

City tried desperately to make the man advantage count, Stephen Ireland looking to get into a good position with seven minutes left but then choosing to find Ball – who shot straight at Cech.

Danny Sturridge replaced Ball and had City’s last chance, having his shot from inside the area blocked by Alex inside stoppage time.

That was the last action of the game, which had begun perfectly for City with Robinho's superb free kick, before Chelsea asserted themselves to take a comfortable win.

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Cook plays down City fears
Takeover set to be completed this week

Manchester City executive chairman Garry Cook has reassured supporters that the club's history will not be 'wiped away'.

The Abu Dhabi United Group are set to complete their takeover of City this week after a deal was agreed on 1st September. Reports suggest that a new board will be formed including members of the Abu Dhabi team such as director of strategic communications Simon Pearce. Cook is also expected to be a part of City's new hierarchy and he has told fans not to worry in any way about the future of the club. While expectations have been raised by the promises of world-class players, there have been some concerns that City could lose their identity, while the club's youngsters could also find it difficult to break through.

Academy
"Sheikh Mansour and his team have made it clear from the start that they do not want to wipe away history - far from it," Cook told the Manchester Evening News. "They are extremely keen on our hugely successful Academy and Jim Cassell was one of the first people their representative wanted to meet when he visited Manchester. "They have made it clear that they intend to provide the funds to secure the services of some of the brightest talent on the planet but they also want to build a team to include the staff, the players and our supporters."

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Ronaldo eager for City move
Three-time World Footballer of the Year eyes Eastlands
Last updated: 16th September 2008

Man City want to make the club one of the best in the world and I feel that I can help.
Brazilian star Ronaldo claims he is set to join Manchester City as the Eastlands outfit bid to become one of the best clubs in the world.
The 31-year-old is a free agent after leaving AC Milan in the summer and could join Mark Hughes' men outside of the transfer window.
Ronaldo is still recovering from the serious knee injury he suffered in February, but says he has been approached by City and is confident of securing a move to the Premier League.
The three-time World Footballer of the Year is eager to join forces with compatriot Robinho, who joined City in a British record deal on summer transfer deadline day.

Offer
"I like the project that Manchester City have presented me," said Ronaldo.
"They want to make the club one of the best in the world and I feel that I can help.
"It is the best offer I've received and it will be very interesting to play with Robinho.
"Me and him, together, we can score more than 50 goals."
Ronaldo won the World Cup with Brazil in 1994 and 2002 and is the all-time leading scorer in the competition with 15 goals in 19 appearances

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Op dinsdag 16 september 2008 10:29 schreef Blight het volgende:
Ronaldo is over the hill. Die hoef ik er echt niet bij te hebben.

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Blues set for Cypriot challenge 18/09/2008 10:04

Mark Hughes and his City side are steeling themselves for tough European away game from the old school in Cyprus tonight.

The Blues will have to contend with heat, passionate home support and a pitch already used for another UEFA Cup tie and a concert this week when they take on AC Omonia at the GSP Stadium.

The hosts won through to this stage by beating AEK Athens in the last round, so Hughes is well aware of the challenge tonight.

He says, “It's not a game that we're going to take lightly in any way, shape or form. They're a very good side and we won't underestimate them. We won't make assumptions that this game is going to be an easy game for us, we know it's far from that, it's a difficult tie for us. We had a similar situation in the last round as well, so we're primed to understand that there's no easy games.

“There'll be a really vociferous crowd as well that we'll have to deal with. They've had a great start to the season and got a great result in the last round. They have good, talented individuals and they work extremely hard as a team. It's a challenge to us and we have everything to lose while Omonia have everything to gain.

“Omonia are top of their league in the early stages and will be no pushover that’s for sure. They had a great result in the last round against a fancied team in AEK Athens so we know we are in for a real contest. The stadium is compact and irrespective of how many they get in there it is always incredibly noisy. They are passionate fans over here, they love their football and I am sure the stadium will be packed with 20,000.”

With a busy schedule that takes in the UEFA Cup, Carling Cup and the Barclays Premier League over the next couple of weeks, Hughes faces the challenge of juggling his playing resources – but keeping players happy is not necessarily top of his agenda.

“It is a challenge for everyone at the Club at the moment and those out of the side have to show the right reaction, knuckle down and give me food for thought,” he continues.

“From my point of view I have a lot of quality players from whom I can choose which is great, though it can cause problems because quality players are never happy when they don’t play. That has always been the case but it doesn’t particularly worry me.

“My job is to select the correct combination of players. The best 11 may not always be the best team.

“The most technically gifted players are not necessarily the ones that will play week in and week out. It is always about getting the balance in the side and making sure we are strong in the areas we need to be when it comes to any given opposition that we are up against.”

Don’t forget that tonight’s game kicks off at 6.00pm UK time, with live commentary available via MCFCTV.com.

Tim Oscroft

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AC Omonia v Manchester City

Thursday September 18, 2008, 8.00pm (local time)
GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus - Att:

Teams
AC Omonia:
Georgallides, Ndikumana, Wenzel, Aguirre, Kaseke, Duro, Okkas, Charalambous, Aloneftis, Christofi.
unused subs: Asprogenis, Alabi, Maris, Niculescu, Bangura, Clayton, Cafu.

City:
Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne, Garrido, Wright-Phillips, Ireland, Kompany, Elano, Robinho, Jo
unused subs: Schmeichel, Ball, Ben-Haim, Hamann, Fernandes, Evans, Sturridge.

Mark Hughes makes two changes to the starting line-up from Saturday's 3-1 defeat to Chelsea. Elano and Javi Garrido come in with Didi Hamann and Michael Ball the players to miss out. Both take their place on the bench as Hughes means business in Cyprus with a strong XI against the Cypriot league leaders

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The match

A noisy Nicosia greeted the two teams as they entered the GSP Stadium and the home fans attempted to unnerve the Blues by booing any early touch of the ball by the City players.

It didn’t stop City almost breaking the deadlocktwice in the opening moments though. First Wright-Phillips got away into the area, but his pull back was cleared to safety, then Robinho had a right footed effort that brought a stretching save from Georgallides in the AC goal.

On 14 minutes Wright-Phillips hit a fine shot from distance after some neat feet which brought another save from the Omonia keeper who tickled the ball around the post.

Twenty minutes into the game, the home crowd were still beating drums and singing their songs, but City had prevented the partisan faithful from having anything of note to cheer in the contest.

Two minutes after they were whistling and howling their disapproval as Kaseke was booked for pulling down Robinho. The Italian referee soon levelled things up as Garrido received a yellow card for a rash challenge.

Sloppy play from the Omonia captain almost handed City the lead on 26 minutes as Ireland robbed Charalambous just inside the box and squared it for Jo but the ball looked to have caught a bobble on the dry pitch and the Brazilian striker could only waft the ball wide from close range.

Jo took a nasty kick on the knee as he tried to bring the ball down on 36 minutes, but despite being stretchered the necessary two yards off the pitch, he was okay to continue.

City then fashioned four chances in quick succession on 40 minutes in two swift raids . Jo hit the post, SWP fluffed a shot, Elano had a goalbound effort blocked before Robinho blasted over the crossbar as City just couldn’t find the goal they deserved.

A minute before half time Stephen Ireland then managed to hit the post as he did well to keep the ball in but the frustration was beginning to show as City’s dominance was yet to be rewarded.

HALF TIME: AC Omonia 0-0 City

There was just the one change at the break with Omonia replacing Aguirre with Bangura.

Two minutes into the second half Vincent Kompany had to make a tackle on the edge of the box which gave away a foul as Omonia threatened to break into the area but from the free-kick City paid the ultimate price for the missed chances in the first half as Duro whipped the ball beyond Hart.

Needless to say the stadium erupted as the scorer wheeled away in delight to celebrate with the home fans.

City responded well and the keeper needed to block an Ireland shot after Kompany’s long throughball on 53 minutes as Hughes’s side looked to pull level and score a vital away goal. On 56 minutes Jo rattled the bar with a shot from just inside the box which had Georgallides well beaten.

A minute later a pile driver from the right back Ndikumana flew narrowly wide as the Cypriots looked set to celebrate again – City had needed a goal from somewhere to quell the hosts and it duly came on 59 minutes.

Wright-Phillips got the better of the sleeping Charalambous and rolled it across to Jo, who made no mistake this time, as opened his City account from two-yards out. It was only what the Blues had deserved and Jo ensured there would be no repeat of his first half bobbler.

The game had opened up and Omonia should have gone back in front just after the hour mark. Great wing play down the right saw Dunne beaten by Christofi but Aloneftis’s touch saw the ball slide wide of Hart’s left hand post to safety following a dangerous cross.

The motto ‘try, try and try again’ is clearly familiar to this bunch of City players because on 72 minutes the Blues’ pressure paid off as they took the lead for the first time in the tie.

Pablo Zabaleta broke away down the right channel and put in a deep cross, which missed out the bulk of those converged in the penalty area, but Jo had pulled out and controlled the cross with his thigh and drove the ball into the far corner with his left foot. A good finish for his and City’s second goal of the night.

With 14 minutes left Duro showed his long range shooting talents again as his well hit drive flicked Hart’s crossbar on its way over.

Hughes made his first change on 76 minutes as Sturridge replaced Jo who was given a good send off by the travelling Blues.

City did well to restrict the Omonia attack in the latter stages and brought on Fernandes and Hamann to shore up the midfield as they ran down the clock and secured an impressive victory.

FULL TIME: AC Omonia 1-2 City

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Boss happy to win in Europe



Mark Hughes has reflected on tonight’s 2-1 away win in Cyprus over AC Omonia.
City had a host of chances during the game and it took them to go a goal down on 49 minutes to spring into goalscoring form and Brazilian striker Jo went on to grab a fine brace.

Speaking after the Jo-inspired UEFA Cup First Round first leg win, Hughes told us: “It was a little bit of a concern with the amount of chances that we created and hadn’t converted.

“In the end we got there and I thought it was a good, professional European performance and once we got our noses in front we were never in danger of losing the game I felt. On another night we would have won the game a lot more comfortably.

“I think the pitch wasn’t great and it wasn’t conducive to slick passing but we kept going and we got our reward. It was important that we didn’t offer them too much encouragement, obviously going behind was a concern, but I felt we picked our game up from that point onwards and kept playing the right way.

“Sometimes you feel that it’s not going to be your night but with the way we were playing I thought we’d be likely to score and go on and win the game. Winning 2-1 is a good result in Europe and it was a good performance away from home.”

Leon Collins

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The joy of six at the City of Manchester Stadium
Manchester City v Portsmouth

Sunday September 21, 2008, 3.00pm
City of Manchester Stadium - Att: ...

City:
Hart, Zabaleta, Richards, Dunne (c), Garrido, Kompany, Ireland (Fernandes 77), Elano, Wright-Phillips, Robinho (Sturridge 85), Jo (Evans 72).

unused subs: Schmeichel (GK), Ball, Ben-Haim, Hamann.

Portsmouth:
James, Johnson (Pamarot 82), Distin, Campbell (c), Traore, Kaboul (Utaka 46), Belhadj, Diarra, Davis (Bouba Diop 34), Crouch, Defoe.

unused subs: Ashdown (GK), Kanu, Hreidarsson, Mvuemba.

Goals: 1-0 Jo 13, 2-0 Dunne 20, 3-0 Robinho 57, 4-0 Wright-Phillips 68, 5-0 Evans 78, 6-0 Fernandes 83

Bookings

City:

Portsmouth: Diarra 90

Referee: A. Wiley

Pre match news

Mark Hughes names a first unchanged team for the important Barclays Premier League visit of Portsmouth. It gives the City faithful the second chance to see Robinho and Jo in action for the Blues.

For Pompey, David James and Sylvain Distin make their returns to the City of Manchester Stadium.

The match

City kicked off with the press box still abuzz following the news that the takeover of the Club had been agreed between Thaksin Shinawatra and Sheikh Mansour with the deal to be completed on Tuesday. Indeed both wealthy investors were watching on in the stands.

On the pitch City almost took the lead after three minutes with a move made in Brazil. Elano's pass found Garrido who slid the ball infield to Jo and a cheeky back flick found Robinho on the edge of the box.

The former Real Madrid man found himself with space and time to shoot, and with James scrambling, the former City man turned the ball behind for the game's first corner.

In the 11th minute Elano played it to Robinho who fed Wright-Phillips and despite being under pressure the diminutive winger got a shot off which James turned over thanks to his quick reactions for another set-piece.

But City didn’t have to wait too much longer for the opener...two minutes precisely. As Robinho played a lovely throughball to Jo and in trademark fashion (as City fans know all too well) James came racing out of his goal which gave the Brazilian striker no option but to shimmy past the keeper and finish well from a difficult angle.

And after 20 minutes it got even better for City as they made it 2-0.

Elano’s low corner from the left bamboozled the player standing on the post, the ball then hit the post and rebounded about five-yards out, where Richard Dunne threw himself in for the ball and looked to have got the final touch as it crossed the line.

It was a great present for the defender who was celebrating his 29th birthday.

On 28 minutes Portsmouth should have reduced the arrears. Glen Johnson did well down the Pompey right and has great low cross was met well by Peter Crouch but his snap-shot flew wide of Hart left-hand post.

The game quietened down a little after the early goal activity, but on 39 minutes Robinho tested James again from distance, this time the former City stopper held the shot.

Three minutes before half-time City made a wonderful move involving Elano, Wright-Phillips and Robinho, who produced some amazing skills to leave James on the floor before his fine chip was cleared.

City had Zabaleta to thank a minute later as he volleyed away a goalbound header from Sol Campbell following a left sided corner. After which the Argentine had the song 'There's only one Zabaleta' ringing in his ears.

HALF TIME: City 2-0 Portsmouth

Pompey made one change at the break, Utaka for Kaboul and there was almost a change to the scoreline within the first 30 seconds after the restart.

Micah Richards’ headed clearance hit Defoe on the head and he controlled the ball and broke clear to cut into the left edge of the box. He flicked at the ball with the outside of his foot and whether it was a shot or cross for Crouch, only he will know, but the ball thankfully went wide of the goal.

On 53 minutes Stephen Ireland put in the tackle of the game on Armand Traore. Pompey broke clear with pace and as Utaka fed Traore, Ireland kept pace with him and timed his challenge to perfection, earning a standing ovation in the process.

It was Stephen Ireland again, having a fantastic game, who set City on the way to a third goal on 57 minutes. His well flighted ball over the top was taken with ease by Jo and as the challenge came in on the edge of the box, he shifted the ball to Robinho who made no mistake, firing beyond James.

The City fans were in full voice now, giving the players and Manager the type of atmosphere he'd asked for in his programme notes.

And the fans were up again on 68 minutes as the rampant Blues made it 4-0 and rightfully so because it was a fantastic goal.

It all started in the right-back position as Pablo Zabaleta, not to be shown up by his Brazilian team mates, showed a touch of Argentinean flair in beating two men before finding Ireland.

The young midfielder then delivered a great ball for Wright-Phillips to race on to and after breaking the offside he drilled it home much to the delight of the South Stand as the Academy Graduate slide on his knees in front of his adoring fans.

Referee Wiley was clearly feeling sorry for Redknapp’s men because substitute Ched Evans was denied a certain penalty when Belhadj pulled him down on 77 minutes but it didn’t matter because the fifth goal was just around the corner.

Vincent Kompany sprayed a fine ball out to the left and after a couple of step-overs Robinho whipped a great cross in for Wright-Phillips, he backheeled to Ched Evans who tapped home his first Premier League goal for the Club from close range.

It was 6-0 on 83 minutes as Gelson Fernandes got in on the act with his first goal of the season.

Kompany again was the supplier, he found Garrido and his wicked left wing cross saw Wright-Phillips and James clash as they both tried to meet the cross, the ball fell to the Swiss midfielder who gleefully slid in to fire into the unguarded net.

And it was almost seven as Wright-Phillips found Fernandes who's cross was met on the full volley by Evans and it fizzed just over the bar drawing 'ooh's' from the crowd.

City then just played out time to round off a fantastic exhibition of football by Mark Hughes's men and send a message to the rest of the Premier League.

FULL TIME: City 6-0 Portsmouth