FULL TIME: Manchester City 5-3 Monaco
Eight goals, one missed penalty, another contentious penalty non-decision, a few finishes of extreme brilliance, and a couple of egregious howlers thrown in. All that was missing was a bench-emptying brawl for a full house. Magnificent entertainment. All back here for the second leg in Monaco, then? OK, it’s a date!
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90 min +2: A long hoof down the middle. Had Sane chested it stone dead, he’d have been through on goal, but he can’t quite control properly. A ninth goal is probably too much to ask, to be fair.
90 min +1: Silva wastes a bit of time by dribbling down a dead end on the left. He falls over and wants another free kick, but he’s not getting it.
90 min: Sidibe yanks down De Bruyne on the City left. A free kick in a dangerous area, but City aren’t loading the box. You can’t blame them. There will be three added minutes. Can we not have 33?
89 min: The excellent Sterling is replaced by Jesus Navas.
88 min: Bakayoko is replaced by Dirar. Lemar curls a deep free kick into the City box from the left. Caballero comes off his line to claim. Great cheers.
86 min: Joao Moutinho comes on for Bernardo Silva. Fabinho whacks a witless free kick into a City wall from 25 yards. Caballero punches a Monaco corner well clear of trouble. Aguero is replaced by Fernando. Just another boring 60 seconds at the Etihad.
84 min: And now the action goes up the other end. Mendy whips a cross in low from the left; Falcao nearly sweeps a shot home but Caballero sticks a strong leg out to thwart him!
GOAL! Manchester City 5-3 Monaco (Sane 82)
This was so simple. Silva, dropping deep, pitching-wedges forward towards Aguero, who enters the Monaco box along the inside-left channel. Where are the Monaco defenders? City won’t care! Aguero slips the ball inside for Sane, who has a simple tap in! This is astonishing!
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82 min: Sane drops a shoulder with a view to scooting down the left. He’s dragged back by Fabinho, who is booked. And from the free kick...
80 min: Aguero fancies a hat-trick. He trundles down the inside-left channel and lashes a majestic shot towards the bottom right. Subasic, whose hands have occasionally flapped like the doors in a haunted house, keeps a strong wrist for this one. Fifteen minutes ago, we were saying it’s very unlikely to end 2-3. Anyone confident this will finish 4-3? No, us neither.
79 min: De Bruyne races down the left but for once, with men in the box, his delivery is lacking.
78 min: Germain comes on for Mbappe. Does a quick substitution count as a lull? Phew! Dear oh dear.
GOAL! Manchester City 4-3 Monaco (Stones 77)
De Bruyne fizzes a cross over the six-yard box. Toure rises and eyebrows delicately on towards Stones at the far post. And Stones makes up for his earlier error by sticking out a boot and guiding home! What an astonishing football match this is!
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76 min: Now Bernardo Silva does get booked, for a cynical hoick at De Bruyne’s shoulder, the City man hoping to power down the left. The free kick is sent down the flank, and Aguero earns a corner which De Bruyne goes over to take. And from the set piece...
73 min: Silva’s gallop down the right is stopped by a Bernardo Silva tug. A free kick, but no caution. Zabaleta wants one, though and is booked for complaining. The resulting free kick comes to nothing. “This is like a game taking place in Kevin Keegan’s imagination,” observes Mike Gibbons. Indeed: it’s like Newcastle 96 v Newcastle 96.
GOAL! Manchester City 3-3 Monaco (Aguero 71)
A corner for City on the left. De Bruyne loops a cross deep, and it comes off the back of Glik. Another corner, this time on the right. Silva takes, and drops it onto the foot of Aguero, inexplicably free on the edge of the six-yard box. Aguero isn’t turning his nose up at this sort of chance, and steers a wonderful volley into the bottom right past a planted Subasic. This match is beyond brilliant.
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69 min: Sterling dribbles into the Monaco area down the inside-right channel and is bundled off the ball. Mendy gets a good challenge in, though the home fans want a penalty, as does an ironically grinning Pep Guardiola on the touchline. But that looks a good decision. The ball breaks to Sane on the penalty spot, but he can’t get a shot away. Monaco sprint up the other end, Mbappe twisting and turning down the left and lashing a shot into the side netting. Had that gone in, the Etihad would be currently in orbit.
68 min: Mendy makes off down the left and swings a fine cross into the centre. The only City man in the area is Sagna, and he plants a fine header back upfield with three red-and-white shirts lurking.
67 min: Falcao is booked for a late slide on Stones. He can’t have any complaints, and to be fair he doesn’t go down that road.
65 min: Zabaleta jigs down the right and reaches the by-line, but his pull back doesn’t quite find the lurking Aguero, and is cleared. On 54 minutes we suggested this wouldn’t end 1-2. Eleven minutes down the line, and it’s very unlikely to end 2-3.
64 min: City respond by flinging a couple of crosses into the Monaco box. There’s no presence in the middle, and on both occasions the ball’s headed clear by visiting defenders. One Bakayoko header is particularly timely.
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62 min: Bolted Horse latest. Zabaleta comes on for Fernandinho.
WHAT A GOAL! Manchester City 2-3 Monaco (Falcao 61)
And this changes everything back again. A long ball down the Monaco left. It’s Stones versus Falcao, and Stones should win. But he prods with great uncertainty at the ball, then falls over lightly, allowing Falcao to zip into the area. Now, this could go down as a cock-up, but Falcao still has much to do, and such is the quality of his finish that it’s all about the striker’s genius. He draws Caballero and chips delicately over the keeper, fully upright, into the empty net! What an exquisite touch! What a finish! And, all right, what an error by Stones. But still.
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GOAL! Manchester City 2-2 Monaco (Aguero 58)
City are back in it, and what a dreadful mistake by Subasic in the Monaco goal! Sterling steals possession deep in their own half. He romps up the right, and slides a pass further up the channel to release Aguero. The striker’s goal drought ends when he takes a shot from the edge of the box towards the bottom right. The keeper must gather, but he fumbles it awfully, the ball going straight through him and into the net! Wow: did City need that! But that changes everything. And the crowd are bouncing.
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56 min: ... whips the ball across the face of the six-yard box. Aguero sticks out a boot in the hope of poking home. He can’t quite connect, and he’s a couple of inches offside anyway.
55 min: Sterling turns on the jets down the right, and is brought down by Bakayoko. That’s a booking, and a chance for City to load the box. De Bruyne takes the free kick, and ...
54 min: Sagna tries to oblige, crossing into the box from the right. Sidibe hacks clear. This is extremely unlikely to end 1-2.
53 min: Fernandinho only half clears, allowing Lemar to dribble down the right and reach the by-line. City again clear their lines, but they’re looking extremely nervous at the back. Monaco are pressing them deep. City desperately need something to turn the tide.
52 min: Monaco don’t appear to have lost heart, though. They come at City again, through Mbappe down the right. He earns a corner, which leads to another corner. From which ...
Falcao misses the penalty!
50 min: That’s another controversial decision; it wasn’t totally clear that Otamendi took Falcao down. But a spot kick it is. And it’s saved! Falcao stutters like a poor man’s Zaza, and sidefoots an appallingly weak effort towards the bottom right. Caballero goes down in instalments, and smothers with a yawn. City survive!
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Penalty for Monaco!
49 min: There’s space for Mendy down the left. City are in all sorts of bother at the back. Mendy whips in a low ball. Falcao and Otamendi tangle, six yards out. For a second, it looks like it’s a goal kick, the ball squirting off to the right. But after a long pause, the referee books Otamendi and points to the spot!
48 min: Bernardo Silva looks the business. He hovers around down the right, first nearly releasing Falcao, then Fabinho. But neither pass quite reaches his man. And then Monaco come again. And...
46 min: City start in the positive manner, De Bruyne making good down the right and very nearly springing Sterling down the channel with a clever through ball. He’s overcooked the pass a little, though, and it goes out for a goal kick. A decent move, though.
And we’re off again! That was an absurdly entertaining first 45; if the second period is half as good, we’ll be in for a cracker. On BT Sport, Rio Ferdinand gives City something to cling to: Monaco have some attack, but their defence isn’t particularly great, so there are bound to be chances to get back into this tie. City get the ball rolling again. Incidentally, it seems Sterling wasn’t booked in the wake of the non-penalty controversy; the fourth official was confused. So he’s still available for the second leg!
Half-time quiz: The Liberation of the Lateral. Is it:
(a) an academic paper by Noam Chomsky;
(b) a Super Furry Animals album track; or
(c) part of a theory Jonathan Wilson has about attacking full-backs?
Click here for the answer!
HALF TIME: Manchester City 1-2 Monaco
Are those 45 minutes up already? Phew. Absolutely breathless. City have played well, but Monaco have been ruthless in attack, and deservedly go in with two precious away goals in their back pocket. City, however, will point to that contentious penalty non-decision, and should come out for the second half with renewed purpose. The rest of this match promises to be a corker. Don’t go anywhere, now!
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44 min: City attack again, but Monaco strip the ball off them and take off down the other end. Bernardo Silva slips a pass down the left for Falcao, who strides into the box and lashes a shot into the side netting. So close to putting City into all sorts of trouble.
42 min: The Silva-Sane partnership has been the one high point for City so far. They combine down the left again, Sane reaching the by-line and whipping the ball into the six-yard box. Subasic makes a meal of stopping the cross, but it’s eventually hacked clear.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-2 Monaco (Mbeppe 40)
Fabinho hoicks the set piece long down the right. A couple of bounces, and Mbeppe is running clear of Otamendi down the inside-right channel. He enters the area, and lashes a shot hard and high past Caballero, who had no chance, the shot would have taken his head off. Monaco are serious dark horses for this year’s Champions League, aren’t they.
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40 min: Now it’s a yellow card for Fernandinho, who hangs out a leg to stop Fabinho charging down the right. And straight from the free kick...
38 min: Sterling has been booked for remonstrating with the referee in the wake of that penalty non-decision. He’ll miss the second leg of this tie.
36 min: Monaco go up the other end, in the direct route-one style, and nearly take the lead, Mbappe bustling down the inside left and rasping a stunning rising shot towards the top left from 20 yards. It’s only just over the bar. Not sure Caballero would have saved that, were the shot on target.
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34 min: The City of Manchester Stadium explodes in anger as Aguero chases a ball down the middle, breaks clear into the area, and tries to round Subasic on his left. Subasic gets the lightest of touches on the ball. Aguero clatters into his outhanging leg and goes over. Penalty? Nope! The referee books Aguero for diving, which is beyond harsh. It looked a penalty. On the touchline, pints of steam parp out of Pep Guardiola’s lugs. This will be mentioned in dispatches.
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GOAL! Manchester City 1-1 Monaco (Falcao 32)
Caballero chips a clearance out to the City left wing. Benjamin Mendy intercepts, and sends Fabinho down the Monaco right. It’s another delicious cross, and Falcao flies in to Keith Houchen a magnificent diving header into the bottom right. A slight balls-up by the keeper, there, though Monaco still had plenty to do. A crucial away goal.
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30 min: What a cross by Bernardo Silva, out on the left! He whips a ball towards the far post, where Fernandinho clears under extreme pressure from Sidibe, six yards out. More luck than judgement there, as it came off his back. But it’ll do.
28 min: Sane, Sterling, Aguero and Silva come flooding forward again. Monaco suddenly look rattled. But Sidibe stands up and stems the tide this time.
GOAL! Manchester City 1-0 Monaco (Sterling 26)
Sane dribbles down the left and exchanges passes with Silva. He’s in the box, clear of the desperately sliding Sidibe. He fizzes a low cross into the middle, and Sterling sidefoots home. He couldn’t miss! Shades of offside? Maybe! But City won’t care!
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25 min: Sidibe is booked for a cynical touch on Sane. And from the free kick, out on the left...
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23 min: And here we go again. From the right edge of the Monaco box, De Bruyne contorts his body to whip a surprise first-time cross into the area, catching the opposition asleep. Aguero surely must score from six yards, but he fresh-air swipes his attempted sidefoot. Fernandinho attempts gamely to keep the move going on the other flank, but fails. Aguero is on a six-game run without a goal, uncharted territory for a player so good.
22 min: I suppose two minutes without bedlam in either area constitutes something of a lull. It’d be harsh to complain too much, though.
20 min: This is wonderful end-to-end fun. Monaco win a corner down the right. It’s not cleared properly by Toure, who eyebrows the cross to the far post. The ball bounces off a startled Glik from close range, and out of play to the left. City go up the other end, and earn a corner of their own down their right. Sane dribbles into the area from that flank, but his low fizzing cross is hacked clear by Mendy.
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18 min: Room for Mendy down the left wing. His low cross nearly finds Falcao in the middle, and Caballero doesn’t gather the ball with confidence. But the flag goes up for offside, saving City’s bacon.
16 min: Good luck in guessing the identity of the opening scorer. City nearly embarrass Monaco twice down the right wing, first Aguero and then Sterling trying to beat a wandering Subasic from a tight angle. But they can’t get the ball into the middle. “What odds, do you think, a bookmaker might offer on Pep Guardiola gorging ostentatiously on a meat pie during the game?” wonders Charles Antaki. No idea. But would he be so silly? Getting gravy on that nice sweater or club tie would surely constitute a sackable offence.
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14 min: This is breathless fun. The excellent Bernardo Siva jinks in from the right, nutmegs Toure, then slides a ball down the channel which very nearly releases Falcao. For a second, it looks as though the striker will power clear on goal, but he’s not what he was in that sense, as Manchester United and Chelsea fans would agree. Still, City were very nearly opened up there, and they’ve got Stones to thank for retrieving the situation.
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12 min: Sterling looks up for this. Now he exchanges a one-two with Silva down the inside-left channel, reaching the by-line and pulling back for Silva, who sidefoots into an unguarded net from eight yards. Problem is, Monaco had long stopped playing, because Sterling had wandered offside in order to receive the initial pass from Silva.
11 min: Monaco are causing City all manner of bother. Bernardo Silva zips on the outside of Fernandinho out on the right. He very nearly finds Lemar with a pullback from the by-line, but Stones and Otamendi put up an effective barrier.
9 min: Mbappe embarks on a power dribble down the inside-left channel. He reaches the City area and very nearly works enough space for a shot. But not quite. A promising run by a very promising player.
8 min: Sane, out on the left touchline, drops a shoulder to cut inside. He’s cynically blocked by Glik, who will now miss the return leg in Monaco as a result. And of course he’s now got to play 82 minutes of this match on a booking. The resulting free kick leads to nothing.
7 min: Some space for Sane down the left. He should be sent clear into the box by Silva, but the pass forces him a little wide. Sane still manages to get a shot away, but can only blaze wildly over the bar.
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6 min: ... the ball’s headed clear with purpose by Toure. But the lively visitors are straight back at City, and Lemar has a whack from afar. His effort is shepherded out to the right of the target by Caballero, who is always in control of the situation. This isn’t ending goalless.
5 min: Bernardo Silva zips with pace down the right and slips the ball to Sidibe on his outside. Another corner, from which ...
3 min: City come straight back at Monaco, De Bruyne and Toure combining down the right, the latter chipping a ball down the channel to release Sterling into the box. Sterling looks to cross low but the ball is smothered by Subasic, who has closed down the angle well. The ball flies out for a corner, but it’ll be Monaco’s ball as Sterling was a yard offside. But what an open start! In a parallel universe, this game is 1-1 already.
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2 min: Monaco have flown out of the blocks all right. They press, press, press as City pass it around the back, and earn themselves a corner down the right. The ball’s laid back to Sidibe, who loops long into the City box. There are three Monaco men at the far post, and not very many blue shirts. Fortunately for City, the cross is too high for all of them.
And we’re off! Two attack-minded teams here tonight. Monaco get the ball rolling, and immediately get on the front foot. No hanging about. Bernardo Silva thinks about breaking down the right, but he’s a bit over-eager in a challenge with Sagna and the first attack of the evening is over.
The teams are out! Manchester City are in their iconic sky-blue shirts. Monaco wear their famous red-and-white diagonal. The official Champions League anthem gets the bird, as it always does round these parts, comically so, and more power to everyone’s elbow there. Handel will be spinning at a minimum of 78 revolutions per minute in his grave at what Uefa have done to his wee tune. Anyway, we’ll be off in a minute!
Pep Guardiola is interviewed, and he’s not saying much about his own selection, other than City have a lot of injuries. But he can’t stop praising tonight’s visitors. “It will be a good match. They score a lot of goals. We will see, but I think it will be a good game. Monaco attack with a lot of people, with the wingers playing inside, and strong full backs. They can go up and down many times. They will look to attack us with runs in behind, they are so quick. It is a tough draw, but we will try!” Expectation management? Or lulling Monaco into a false sense of security? We will see all right!
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Some pre-match reading: How have Monaco closed the gap on Paris Saint-Germain without resorting to their old bank-breaking antics? Igor Mladenovic has the answer.
It’s probably no huge surprise that Pep Guardiola has made seven changes to the City team he sent out at Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup on Saturday. John Stones, Fernandinho, Nicolas Otamendi and Sergio Aguero are the only back-to-back starters; Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, David Silva and Yaya Toure are simply back.
Leonardo Jardim has been a little less axe-happy, making just the four swaps from the XI named at the start of Monaco’s 1-1 Ligue 1 draw at Bastia on Friday. Jemerson, Almamy Toure, Joao Moutinho and Valere Germain make way for Fabinho, Djibril Sidibe, Andrea Raggi and Kylian Mbappe.
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Tonight's teams
Manchester City: Caballero, Fernandinho, Otamendi, Stones, Sagna, Yaya Toure, De Bruyne, David Silva, Sane, Sterling, Aguero.
Subs: Bravo, Zabaleta, Fernando, Nolito, Navas, Delph, Iheanacho.
Monaco: Subasic, Sidibe, Glik, Raggi, Mendy, Fabinho, Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva, Lemar, Mbappe, Falcao.
Subs: De Sanctis, Dirar, Moutinho, Carrillo, Germain, Diallo, Almamy Toure.
Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahox (Spain).
Good evening!
Nearly everything points to Manchester City enjoying themselves tonight. They’re on a nine-match unbeaten run at home in the Champions League. Every home side in the Round of 16 so far this season has won their tie. City beat French opposition in Paris Saint-Germain on their run to the semis last year. And the boss man Pep Guardiola has won all seven Round-of-16 ties he’s contested as coach at Barcelona and Bayern Munich; he knows what’s what at this stage all right.
Nearly everything points to Manchester City enjoying themselves. Slight problem is, City’s French opposition tonight is Monaco. And Monaco are notorious for putting English clubs back in their box. They’ve faced teams from dear old Blighty five times in knock-out European competition. On the first occasion, back in 1995, they were dispatched from the Uefa Cup by Leeds United. But since then, it’s been success all the way: a quarter-final Uefa Cup victory over Newcastle United in 1997; a quarter-final Champions League victory over Manchester United in 1998; a semi-final Champions League win over Chelsea in 2004; and a Round of 16 win over Arsenal in 2015. They also, just in case it wasn’t already crystal clear, beat Spurs home and away in this season’s Champions League groups. They’ve got the Premier League’s number.
In addition: City have been notoriously erratic this season, while Monaco lead Ligue 1, their first French title in 17 years within sight. A tricky test for City, then. Then again, that’s what they said when Barcelona came to town, and look what happened there. All of which has been a very roundabout way of saying: good luck calling this one, it promises to be an excellent match!
Kick off: 7.45pm in Manchester, 8.45pm in the Principality.
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