Manchester City 2-0 Dinamo Zagreb: 5 Hits and Flops | Champions League 2019/20
Manchester City edged past Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League.
The Sky Blues exerted their dominance from the outset and controlled possession. However, a combination of indecisiveness and wayward finishing in the final third contributed to the teams going in level at the break. The visitors showcased a little more bravery after the restart but were unable to carve out any clear-cut openings.
Inevitably, the Cityzens breached a stubborn Zagreb defence when Raheem Sterling poked in Riyad Mahrez’s cross, six minutes after the hour mark. The hosts put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time when Phil Foden finished off a brisk counter-attack.
Here is a look at the players that impressed and those that weren’t quite at their best.
#5 Raheem Sterling – Hit
Raheem Sterling was dropped to the bench when Zagreb came visiting on Tuesday. However, when he was introduced, he left quite an enormous imprint on the game, a mark that outshone plenty of his teammates, despite the Englishman being on the pitch for just more than half an hour.
After replacing Bernardo Silva, the forward was a bundle of energy throughout his appearance as he tormented the visitors’ defence.
In the first half, the Cityzens were guilty of lacking a bit of speed and conviction in the attacking third. And, Sterling provided that in abundance as he conjured a goal and an assist.
For the goal, the Englishman showcased his offensive instinct as he reacted quicker than anyone else. After Mahrez was released into space, Sterling raced past his man to slot home the opener.
In the dying moments of the match, the forward led a rapid counter attack and fed the ball to Foden. His countryman made no mistake and thumped the ball into the back of the net. Thus, after a slightly patchy performance at the weekend, Sterling again proved his worth at the Etihad.