It was far from the scintillating performance we’ve become accustomed to from Manchester City, but they got the job done as a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar sealed City’s progression as Group C winners.
For the seventh straight season, Manchester City will participate in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Although a 1-1 draw at home to Shakhtar is far from an ideal result, City sealing progression to the knockouts in top spot with a game to spare is clearly the most important aspect of today’s match.
The first half ended scoreless and saw few chances other than a complete mishap by Ederson that nearly allowed the Ukranian champions to hit the front were it not for a goal-line clearance by Fernandinho. In the second, İlkay Gündoğan managed to give the hosts the lead, but they could not capitalize as 20-year old Israeli winger Manor Solomon equalized 13 minutes later.
It ended up being a very dull match, with few chances at either end other than the goals, and although it is concerning for City’s form, the main takeaway is that City have gotten the job done despite their defensive injury issues.
Elsewhere in the group, Atalanta picked up a crucial 2-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb that allowed a point to be enough to seal top spot for City. After having 0 points from their first three matches, the Italian side now head into the final matchday with a realistic shot at pulling off a miracle and qualifying in second place. Should Atalanta head to Ukraine and pick up a victory against Shakhtar, and City win or draw against Dinamo, the Italians will head to the knockouts in their maiden Champions League voyage.
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With top spot sealed, City will face a non-English second place finisher in the Round of 16. Some possible opponents pending further results include Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Napoli, Lyon, Ajax, and Valencia. The most favorable draw would be a matchup with the French side, whom City took four points from in last season’s group stage.
The Champions League will define the success of City’s season. Although today’s performance did not inspire confidence, this team has secured its place at the business end of the competition and will have the chance to make real noise.