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Day: 24 October 2015

CSKA Moscow vs Manchester United match report

Written by Patrick Harvey on . Posted in Sport.

Ahead of the derby, Louis Van Gaal made a few interesting team selections. Juan Mata and Matteo Darmian were dropped after the weekend’s win at Goodison Park, and were replaced by Antonio Valencia and Champions League debutant Jesse Lingard.

The Manchester club made a tentative start to the game. They had clear dominancy of possession, which was a feature of the whole night, but failed to make any mark on the Russian defence.

In the 13th minute the marauding right back Mário Fernandes cut in from the right as Marcos Rojo was caught out of position and forced a great save from David De Gea at his near post. However, upon closer inspection it became obvious that Anthony Martial had committed a deliberate handball as the Brazilian right back flicked the ball past him. It was a mistake we have not been accustomed to since the Frenchman’s arrival in Manchester, one that Van Gaal described as a ”stupid reaction”. The referee Carlos Velasco Carballo dutifully pointed to the spot. David De Gea did his best to save the blushes of Martial, making a fantastic save from Roman Eremenko’s penalty onto his right post, and then flicking it away from the penalty taker with his leg. Unfortunately, (Seydou Doumbia the man who terrorised City in the group stages last year) was at hand to tuck away the rebound, securing his 13th goal in the competition.

United were close to being two behind half an hour in, as Ahmed Musa the young Nigerian called De Gea into action again, with a remarkable long-range effort.

United’s dominance of possession carried on after the goal but they failed to cause any concern for Igor Akinfeev, the Russian national keeper.  That was until Rooney’s speculative effort on 36 minutes almost crept into the far corner, marking the best chance for the reds in what was an underwhelming first half.

At half time Van Gaal made the precarious decision to take the experienced Bastian Schweinsteiger off for the Belgian Marouane Fellaini. It proved to be the correct one, allowing Ander Herrera to move back, giving the United midfield the burst of pace it badly needed.

United made a good start to the second half but it was close to being ruined in the 52nd minute when Moscow had another valid penalty appeal. Rojo – who looked uncertain all night at left back – misjudged a speculative ball from the left hand side and while attempting to head clear, the ball clearly stuck his arm.

It was just the luck the English side needed to get back into the match. The domination continued and a few minutes later Rooney almost equalised as he beat the CSKA defence to a near post ball from Herrera, but the effort was straight at the keeper.

However, it wasn’t until the 64th minute that United finally penetrated the Russian goal. It was a lovely move that saw the liberated Herrera slide a beautifully weighted pass into the path of the replacement right back Valencia. He then stood up a perfect cross to Martial who had pulled off the Moscow defence and smartly tucked away a cushioned header into the far corner. This sent the French wonder kid from villain back to his status as hero in the eyes of the United faithful.

There was almost an opening for Fellaini to win it late on but Akinfeev beat him to a Martial cut back. Nevertheless, there was little more threat posed by United who seemed content with a draw in what was a hostile atmosphere.

United will most likely be pleased to pick up their first away point in Group D, which leaves them in a reasonably strong position with two more games at Old Trafford. Finishing top of the group however does looks tough for Van Gaal’s men as Wolfsburg are two points ahead, with United still to travel to Germany. The game will give the boss a few decisions before the derby. Most notably whether to start the disappointing Schweinsteiger or whether to go with Fellaini who impressed in the second half. There is also still an air of uncertainty over the ability of Rooney to play as a lone striker. He was very much isolated against Moscow and Van Gaal will need a cohesive attacking unit against a City defence that can be penetrated.

Manchester City vs Sevilla match report

Written by Patrick Harvey on . Posted in Sport.

Ahead of the weekend’s derby, there were European duties for both Manchester clubs. City faced a well-organised Sevilla side in Manchester while United travelled to a freezing Moscow to face the Russian giants CSKA Moscow.

City set out with the same side that bullied Bournemouth last week. They hoped that Raheem Sterling and especially Wilfried Bony could keep up their form from the weekend. Bacary Sagna also kept his place at left back, as Alexander Kolorov was deemed not fit enough to start. Interestingly, captain Vincent Kompany remained on the bench with Manuel Pellegrini favouring the centre back duo of Nicolás Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala—who the Chilean praised after the game.

City started the first ten minutes impressively with Jesús Navas, playing against his old side, fizzing an effort from 25 yards just past the post. However the Europa League champions quickly took hold of the half with Éver Banega, Vitolo and particularly Yevhen Konoplyanka causing the City defence numerous issues with their pace and creativity.

In the 16th minute it was the Ukrainian Konoplyanka who came closest to scoring for either side as his clever free kick caught out an unprepared Joe Hart at his near post. The strike rattled the post and seemed to give the Spanish side the initiative to intensify the pressure on the City goal. It was from the resulting corner that they came close again but the flick from the commanding midfielder, Vicente Iborra, was not capitalized on at the back post by striker Kevin Gamiero.

Soon after, City did come close to scoring themselves. Against the run of play Yaya Touré’s deflected strike from outside the box was inches from creeping in.

Nonetheless, this did not deter the attacks of the Andalusian side who were finally rewarded for their dominance in the 30th minute. It was once again the three behind the striker who were the instigators. Banega was fortunate as his pass to the right back Coke ricocheted off Kevin De Bruyne into the path of Vitolo, who cut back a perfect pass for the unmarked Konoplyanka who tucked away the opener at the far post. It was no more than Sevilla deserved, having threatened on the counter all game and really exposed the flaws in City’s defence—a common feature of their European adventures. The goal also meant that City have still only kept one clean sheet at home in the Champions League, a worrying stat for City fans.

The goal did however seem to bring alive the attacking talent among the City ranks. In the 35th minute, Yaya Touré produced a trademark surging run through the midfield and found Navas on the right hand side. He returned the favour, playing the ball to Touré who was now inside the box. He then managed to outmuscle the French centre back Timothée Kolodziejczak and fire a cross towards Sterling whose effort was saved by the keeper. Wilfried Bony was the first to react and his rebounded effort deflected off Adil Rami and into the net. It was exactly what City needed as they were being well and truly dominated up to that point. It allowed them, somewhat fortunately, to go into the break level.

The second half was a much cagier affair as City sat back more and gave Sevilla far less room on the counter. Chances were sporadic but one of the best ones fell to the disappointing Gamiero just ten minutes into the second period, when he blazed over a free header inside the six-yard box. It was a missed opportunity that Unai Emrery and his side would live to regret.

Pellegrini made a confusing substitution in the 76th minute when he took off his only striker Bony for Fernando, a defensive midfielder. Although Bony had been isolated all night, it was a home fixture in a tough group and most would see such a decision as negative, as City certainly needed the points. He subsequently placed Kevin De Bruyne up front and moved Yaya Touré higher up the pitch.

As the game stretched late on, it proved to be a masterstroke as the pace of De Bruyne up front was far more effective than the hold up play of Bony. In addition, it gave Touré more freedom to attack in the last period of the game.

It was the combination of those two that eventually won it for City. In injury time, Touré received a pass inside his own half with an empty middle of the field to attack. He brought it forward 40 yards where he played it out to De Bruyne on the right hand side. The Belgian then took advantage of the tired Sevilla defence, cutting in onto his left and dispatching a strike into the far corner.

The goal proved to be the winner. Heartbreaking for Sevilla who put in a really impressive performance at the Etihad. For City, however it was a brilliant result against a well-balanced and dangerous side. It also shortened the gap behind Juventus to two points, as they were held to a goalless draw against Borussia Monchengladbach. In terms of the weekend’s derby, they will be high on confidence after such a dramatic win, although Pellegrini will be hoping for an improved performance from the defence who were shaky in the first half. The end to the game will also leave him with a decision to make over whether to possibly start De Bruyne up front from the start.

Eyewitness: Chinese President visits Graphene Institute

Written by Allie Liu on . Posted in News.

Early on Friday morning, a huge crowd of Manchester students gathered and lined the streets to greet Xi Jinping, the President of the People’s Republic of China, on his last day of his UK tour. Mr Xi’s long-awaited visit to Britain comes after the last official visit by a Chinese Head of State ten years ago. This day also marks the first time that Manchester has been visited by a Chinese President. Among those to greet him outside the National Graphene Institute was the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor, Dame Professor Nancy Rothwell, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.

The crowd were kept behind metal barriers and were adorned with face paint, waving both the Chinese Five-star Red Flag and Union Jacks. There was a harmonious atmosphere between students and police, because there was a shared excitement for the President’s arrival, with some students even managing to take selfies with the police.

As it got closer to 10:00am, the crowd grew more enthusiastic and cheers filled the street as the overhead helicopter signalled Mr Xi’s imminent arrival. Several police vans and motorcycles blocked both sides of Booth Street East, where the Graphene Institute is situated. A convoy of blacked-out cars followed and led the President to the red-carpeted entrance of the Graphene Institute. Students were left with bated breath as they tried to catch a glimpse of Mr Xi.

The President, a chemical engineer himself, was shown around the research centre by University of Manchester student representatives and observed demonstrations that presented a range of graphene-based prototypes, including pioneering drug delivery for cancer treatment.

The President’s visit coincided with the release of a statement from Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer based in China. The company announced their partnership with the National Graphene Institute to research graphene and other related 2D materials.

Mr Xi swiftly left out of an alternative exit of the building, leaving hundreds of students and spectators disappointed as they had hoped to see the President in person. The President then met with the Prime Minister, David Cameron, outside The Etihad Stadium and the two leaders made their way to have lunch at the Town Hall.