As sure as day follows night, Manchester City prevailed, maintaining the overwhelming sense that this group stage is a formality and that what would really generate some continental electricity is a Champions League with a knock-out format, from start to finish.
It was 50 years ago on Monday that City beat Athletico Bilbao on home soil in the first round of what remains their only successful European adventure: the Cup Winners’ Cup campaign which took them past the Poles Gornik Zabrze in the final. It was a 3-0 breeze that night, yet the Spaniards had drawn 3-3 with City in the Basque country and Maine Road bounced to the noise and energy of a breathless second leg.
There was little of that kind last night until Raheem Sterling’s goal, ten minutes after arriving as a substitute, took his goal tally to 41 in 12 months. It is a measure of the tournament’s weakness that Dinamo Zagreb, who have won the Croatian league in 13 of the last 14 seasons have totalled four points in Champions League group games. They appear, generally lose, generally accept it, happily take the money, and hopefully find a buyer for any young players they might have on show. There were certainly none of those last night.
Substitute Raheem Sterling only needed 10 minutes to break the deadlock by scoring from close range in the 66th minute
Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling combined to split the defence with a one-two and Sterling finished it off with a cool finish
Sterling turned in from close range – albeit via deflection – from a Riyad Mahrez cross following a flowing team move
If that were not enough measure of the competitive imbalance, City were able to replace Kyle Walker and Oleksandr Zinchenko, full backs in the unconvincing defensive display at Everton last Saturday with Joao Cancelo and Benjamin Mendy – the world’s two most expensive full backs. It was at least a good test for Cancelo, booked for a rash first half challenge on Dani Olmo and removed early.
The only Croatian contribution of the remotest significance came from the South Stand, where behind the banner proclaiming ‘Purgeri’ – the nickname for citizens of Zagreb – the visiting team’s supporters revealed how it feels when there is a purpose and significance about following your team’s group stage games in this tournament. City’s fans briefly gave something back to the partisan Croatians and their relentless drummer, though it was a half-hearted response at best. Even the ritual booing of the UEFA anthem lacked much conviction.
City could have been five up by the interval against a side who actually aided their efforts, with an early kamikaze pass back through their own ranks for Sergio Aguero, who buzzed around the front with relentless menace.
Phil Foden put the seal on the victory in added time as he raced through to score following another break by Sterling
Pep Guardiola was booked during a frustrating evening for the Manchester City manager at the Etihad Stadium
Pep Guardiola could not hide his delight after Manchester City finally made their dominance count against Zagreb
The Argentine could not capitalise, driving past the goalkeeper having latched onto the through ball by visiting midfielder Nikolo Moro and shooting at him, then driving a shot over the bar, after spinning imperiously around Emir Dilaver to manoeuvre Benjamin Mendy’s short pass into space. Aguero took your breath away at times in a first period in which the fluorescent yellows barely broke turf in City’s half. But there was some serious profligacy from Bernardo Silva, who twice fired over the bar left-footed when within clear view of goal.
The breakthrough seemed to have arrived just beyond the half hour with a move of seductive beauty – to quote the quality Guardiola had insisted his side must woo their fans with in this competition. Rodri’s reverse ball behind defence located David Silva whose cross Riyad Mahrez allowed to run on to Ilkay Gundogan. The German piled a shot against the bar.
There was a clear handball in the area by Kevin Theophile-Catherine -undetected by VAR – moments before David Silva placed another shot wide of the right post and though half-time arrived with a deadlock, a City breakthrough when the teams re-emerged seemed inevitable.
Sergio Aguero put the ball in the net but his effort was ruled out after a clear handball from Bernardo Silva in the build up
Manchester City right back Joao Cancelo challenges Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Dani Olmo during the first-half
David Silva missed a great chance to open the scoring when the ball fell to him a few yards out but he put his effort wide
Guardiola introduced Raheem Sterling for Bernardo ten minutes into the second half, as he looked for the urgency that might buy a breakthrough against what was fast developing by then into a Croatian flat back seven.
It worked. Mahrez, whose contribution in the early stages of this City season have been stellar, was the instigator of a delicious five-pass move which saw him shift the ball wide to Gundogan, take it back in space on the left and deliver low for Sterling. The substitute’s shot from close range was deflected in off Dilaver.
Guardiola was booked on 70 minutes after remonstrating with the fourth official for what he saw as a Petar Stojanovic’s foul on Sterling in the penalty area, though the player seemed to have legitimately won the ball.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva fired an acrobatic effort over the bar in the first-half against Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan saw his rasping drive hit the top of the crossbar and go over in the first-half
Sergio Aguero went close with a crisp strike as Manchester City launched wave after wave of attacks in the first-half
City also thought they should have had a penalty when Dinamo’s giant centre half Dino Peric seemed to stand on Aguero’s foot in the area, though unfathomably VAR ruled against it. A good save then prevented Mahrez from converting a Sterling pass to double the deficit.
But Foden, on for David Silva, did wrap things up, racing ahead with Sterling on the counter-attack to take his teammate’s pass and drive a well-struck shot to the goalkeeper’s right.
Minor irritations for a City team now facing a double header against the extremely modest Italian side Atalanta, who last night lost to the Shaktar Donetsk City breezed past in Kharkiv two weeks ago. Early qualification beckons and, if nothing else, the chance for Guardiola to blood his young players.
Dinamo Zagreb goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic dives to block a shot from Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero
Manchester City were given an early injury scare after midfielder Rodri went down in a heap following a nasty fall
City boss Pep Guardiola watched on anxiously as Rodri received treatment following their recent injury setbacks