KIEV: Manchester City may be toiling domestically at the moment but they produced a superb European away performance to beat Dynamo Kiev 3-1 in Ukraine in their Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side did enough to win the game in the first half with Sergio Aguero and David Silva both scoring to underline their importance to City.
Dynamo pulled a goal back in the second half through midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskiy, but Yaya Toure’s late beauty ensured that City are very much on course to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in their history.
“It was an exceptional result away from home. We couldn’t have hoped for better,” City captain Vincent Kompany told BT Sport.
“The performance was good and 3-1 is a good result. We’re happy with it, we just don’t want to get carried away with it.
“We could have scored many more goals. It was a Man City performance that we’d like to see more often.”
They have been eliminated by Barcelona at this stage in each of the last two seasons but this was a far kinder draw for City against opponents who were playing their first competitive match since December due to the Ukrainian winter break.
“We made lots of mistakes in the middle of the pitch and with this team of Manchester City it’s not acceptable,” said Dynamo coach Sergiy Rebrov, who denied the long period without a competitive game had been a factor.
Pellegrini, meanwhile, had complained of not having enough time to prepare his team for this encounter.
He named a fringe side containing numerous untested youngsters for Sunday’s 5-1 FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Chelsea but his starting XI in the Olympic Stadium was back to full strength, with Fernando the only player to keep his place.
With Joe Hart, Kompany, Toure, Silva and Aguero in the side, City are a different proposition and, after three consecutive defeats, they looked in the mood here.
Ten-man PSV hold on for Atletico stalemate
PSV Eindhoven held out with 10 men to leave their Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid finely balanced at 0-0 after the first leg on Wednesday.
Atletico had chances to kill the game before half-time as Luciano Vietto and Antoine Griezmann missed one-on-ones with Jeroen Zoet.
The hosts had to resist for the final 20 minutes a man light when Gaston Pereiro saw red for a second bookable offense.
However, Atletico failed to take advantage meaning all is to play for when the sides meet again on March 15 at the Vicente Calderon for a place in the last eight.
“From the start of the game we pressed them, played in their half and created chances,” Atletico boss Diego Simeone told beIN Sports.
“In the second half we controlled the game and (Jan) Oblak didn’t have a save to make, so I am very happy with the team.”
And despite his side’s struggles to score goals of late, Simeone is confident their excellent home record in Europe will see Atletico into the quarter-finals for a third consecutive year.
“I don’t like to lie and I speak honestly. Playing at home (to decide the tie), how can I not be calm?“
Vietto was handed a start ahead of Fernando Torres as Griezmann’s strike partner and should have opened the scoring after just three minutes.
Gabi’s long ball through the middle caught the PSV defense flat-footed and the Argentine lifted the ball over the advancing Zoet, but Jeffrey Bruma got back just in time to clear the ball off the line.
