Manchester City vs Napoli, 2011-12 UEFA Champions League, 2011 First Phase

· UEFA Champions League

Manchester City

74': Aleksandar Kolarov

FT
1 - 1

Napoli

69': Edinson Cavani

About

Manchester City are hosting Napoli at Etihad Stadium, , , starting on . The match is a part of the UEFA Champions League.

Match Timeline

0':
0': Join Dale Johnson for Man City's first game in the Champions League, with Italian side Napoli the visitors.
0': The team news is in from Eastlands, here we go...
0': Aleksandar Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta get the nod at full-back in preference to Gael Clichy and Micah Richards for City.
0': Kolo Toure is again on the bench as he builds up his match fitness, and Carlos Tevez sits it out with Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero preferred up front.
0': Nigel de Jong is out with a foot injury while James Milner suffered concussion against Wigan, but Gareth Barry has recovered from an ankle injury suffered on England duty.
0': Mario Balotelli is suspended after being sent off against Dynamo Kiev in last season's Europa League.
0': City's teamsheet is being announced now, to cheers from the home faithful.
0': Napoli's gameplan is based around a three-man defence and a dangerous attacking trio of Cavani, Lavezzi and Hamsik.
1': City's Champions League debut is under way.
2': City starting well, on the attack already.
3': A loose ball runs to Nasri on the edge of the box and his snap shot goes just wide.
4': Corner to City now, looking hungry. Nasri very lively.
5': The corner comes in from the left and someone evades everyone - Kompany should have connected with the header.
6': Cavani balloons a shot well wide after what looked to be a promising break.
7': Napoli look very static at the moment, they need to game to settle down.
8': Liking Walter Mazzarri's shiny coat.
9': Very hopeful long-range effort from Dzeko - about 20 yards wide.
9': Dzeko robs Inler and the Napoli player drags him down to prevent his run on goal. Free-kick around 25 yards out.
10': Silva shoots and it clips the top of the wall and goes behind for a corner.
11': Cornerin from the right, Dzeko flicks it on and De Sanctis comes out and smooters Aguero at the post
12': City opt to take the resulting corner short and lose possession.
13': Very disappointed with Napoli in the opening exchanges, the must have more to offer.
14': Great break by City, Aguero feeds in Dzeko with a neat through ball and he runs on to it for the angled drive....
14': ...Oooooooooh! Inches wide, a goal-kick is given but De Sanctis may have got fingertips.
15': Maggio trips Silva over on the left flank and it rightly carded.
16': It's a poor free-kick into the box, it falls to Barry and he scuffs his shot.
17': Ooooooooooooh! Lavezzi crashes a shot off the bar!
18': Lavezzi turns Kompany and leaves him for dead before shaping a shot with the outside of his right, Hart is beaten but the bar is not.
19': Napoli growing in confidence - snap shot from Lavezzi is well wide this time.
20': That's too tight and neat from City. Nasri involved, maybe he thought he was still at Arsenal.
21': Hamsik crosses this time, over the top over everyone. Now City very shakey at the back. Napoli smelling blood.
22': Poor cross from Kolarov, nowhere near a team-mate.
23': Zabaleta gets a harsh yellow for trying to latch on to a ball inside the box, he tripped Campagnaro in the process.
24': Goal for Benfica against Manchester United - Oscar Cardozo, 1-0
25': Cavani almost gets through to Lavezzi's throughball but it's just over-hit.
26': Zabaleta slid in on a challenge then, horrible thoughts of a quickfire second yellow
27': Napoli have now shown City that the movement of their front three is to be feared.
28': If City played a slightly more direct style, instead of playing five short interchange passes on the edge of the box, they may be in front.
29': Nasri tries a diagonal run on to Silva's pass but it is just too long.
30': Commentator uses the word "intriguing" to describe the first half hour. Otherwise known as "not that exciting".
31': Cannavaro into the book for an ugly lunge on Aguero.
32': The referee gets in the way of the short free-kick, and City just look as though they are making up the move rather than it being anything from the training ground.
33': Corner to Napoli, it's low and cut out at the near post.
34': Another corner to Napoli. This time it is played to the edge of the box and it is terrible again - Toure intercept and City are on the break.
35': Toure feeds in Aguero inside the box, he cuts back inside and lays it to Toure eight yards out...
35': Ooooooooooh! Toure's shot comes back off the underside of the bar and out. Now City rue the woodwork.
36': Kolarov gets a blow to the nose and has to go off for treatment to stop the blood and change his shirt.
37': City play the ball around slowly, wasting time until Kolarov can come back.
38': And Kolarov is reintroduced into the game.
39': Hamsik is allowed space to shoot 20 yards out but shanks it wide to the right.
39': Lavezzi penalised for a foul on Zabaleta - lucky not to become another in the book
40': Free-kick to City over on the right. Kolarov takes, it evades everyone and De Sanctis has to claw it behind
41': The corner comesa it, De Sanctis doesn't look sure this time but it goes behind for a goal-kick.
42': Free-kick to City, Toure smashes it first time but it hits the first defender.
43': Benfica 1-1 Man United, Ryan Giggs with a belter
44': A silly, silly foul by Aronica on Aguero just outside the box on the left.
44': City's free-kicks have been generally poor and this one is too. It was touched short to Kolarov whose first touch was awful and the chance was gone.
45': Poor effort from Aguero, lifted over the bar.
45': One minute to be added.
45': The half-time whistle goes.
45': An excellent start from City but they failed to push on from there. Napoli look very dangerous on the break.
45': Both sides hit the woodwork, but neither deserves to lead.
45': City are trying to be too intricate, when better use of the ball could see them with a crucial goal.
45': You can follow me on Twitter: @dalejohnsonESPN
45': The teams are back out, Blue Moon echoing around the stadium.
45': City fans brandishing bananas, in homage to 80s star Imre Varadi
46': And Napoli kick-off in the second period.
47': Napoli start better than they did in the first half.
48': Dzeko steps forward and chips to the centre for Silva, but it can only come off his chest and run through to the goalkeeper.
49': Barry almost manages to get a shot in from a tight angle but again Napoli's defence stays strong.
50': Woeful defending from City as Hamsik is left unmarked at the far post, and he must score...
50': ...Kompany is there to hack the shot off the line, a lucky escape for City.
51': Free-kick to City, but they take it short cross-pitch.
52': Corner to City after a defensive clearance loops on to the top of the net.
53': The corner comes to Lescott who is free in the centre of goal but he heads over. That was a great chance.
54': Real Madrid lead in Zagreb through Angel Di Maria.
55': Despite the chances, I'm still fancying 0-0 here.
56': Gargano is allowed to travel with the ball but drags his effort wide.
57': Now Dzeko cuts inside but can only shoot at the goalkeeper
58': And now Nasri has a shot, this time it is off target
58': Ezequiel Lavezzi is replaced by Blerim Dzemaili.
59': Inler adds to the yellow peril for a foul on Toure
60': Dzemaili, you may remember, played for Bolton Wanderers back in the days of, er, Gary Megson. He made one appearance as a sub in the FA Cup against Sheffield United. FACT.
61': Corner to Napoli, it's working well but Barry flicks his cross away with his head.
62': It's gone very scrappy, the loss of Lavezzi almost affecting both team's play.
63': Wild effort from Dzemaili, spooned well wide.
64': Super break from Napoli as Cavani feeds in Hamsik who sees his shot excellently diverted over the top by Zabaleta
65': Corner, and it's forced behind so Hamsik will get another chance.
65': Hamsik delivers again, it's headed away for Inler to volley - but only at a man in light blue. Cleared
66': Napoli growing in confidence now, they now they have the ability to open up City.
67': GOAL Maggio breaks 40 yards after winning the ball and plays a neat ball to send Cavani in, who fires under Hart.
68': Super break by Napoli, Super goal.
69': It had been coming, as I'd mentioned only moments earlier. City had looked stretched on Napoli's pace-filled breaks.
70': Tevez is warming up, but City are going to find it very hard to break down a brilliant organised defence.
71': Now Hamsik drags a hopeful effort wide. Napoli still look hungry - and most of all dangerous.
72': Aguero hits the bar!
73': The cross came in low from the left, Aguero's run created the chance but his touch was just too high and it came back off the bar.
74': GOAL Kolarov struck a free-kick from the edge of the box, De Sanctis was rooted to the spot and failed to react to the shot.
75': City are back on level terms!
76': And amid the celebrations Kolarov, who broke his nose at the end of the first half, is replaced by Clichy.
77': And another change for City, with Nasri replaced by Adam Johnson
78': So close fromm Dzeko! He spins on the spoke and fires wide - the better option was the lay-off for Silva!
79': Amazing score here: Inter 0-1 Trabzonspor. Good bye Gasperini?
80': Corner to City now, really going for it now. Johnson takes and then receives the return ball, but can only fire at the keeper.
81': Now Napoli have a corner but this one is poor, both teams still want the win.
82': On comes Tevez to replace Edin Dzeko
83': Poor effort from Toure from the edge of the box, well over.
84': Cavani departs for Napoli. Don't worry City fans, only Goran Pandev to come on.
85': Now Aguero hits a wild shot over the from the edge of the box. Could yet be a winner here.
86': Now Napoli probe around the box.
87': Arango is felled by Tevez, cheap free-kick.
87': Hamsik almost work himself through on goal but made the wrong choice to cut back inside.
88': A mistake by Kompany almost puts Pandev through on goal - Hart bursts out of his area and gets a vital touch to take it back off Pandev and out for a goal-kick.
89': Johnson almost gets through on goal and Tevez plays it short. Tevez has been woeful.
90': Final change of the night suspects a draw is being settled for as Sanata replaces Hamsik
90': Silva goes down in the box, but there was never any chance he would get the penalty.
90': Three minutes to be added on.
90': That's just enough time to plug my Twitter: @dalejohnsonESPN
90': 90 seconds left here, there'll be no winner.
90': Hold on. Great run from Tevez and Man City have a corner. 50 seconds left.
90': Johnson takes, it doesn't beat the first man and his second delivery finds the keeper. That will be that.
90': And that's it, the final whistle goes and it's a point each at Eastlands.
90': Roll With It by Oasis blasts out from the PA system.
90': It was probably a fair result. City tried to break down Napoli but the Italians were strong at the back and dangerous on the break.
90': City's next game is at Bayern on September 27 while Napoli take on Villarreal.
90': Stay with ESPNsoccernet for all the post-match reaction from Eastlands, as well as the reports and pictures from the rest of the Champions League.

Statistics

NAP		MNC
13	Fouls	12
4	Yellow Cards	1
0	Red Cards	0
1	Offsides	1
8	Corner Kicks	9
3	Saves	1
32.1	Possession	67.9
15	SHOTS	25
2	ON GOAL	4
0.1	On Target %	0.2
0	Penalty Goals	0
0	Penalty Kicks Taken	0
203	Accurate Passes	541
286	Passes	626
0.7	Pass Completion %	0.9
3	Accurate Crosses	9
19	Crosses	28
0.2	Cross %	0.3
51	Long Balls	47
26	Accurate Long Balls	37
0.5	Long Balls %	0.8
4	Blocked Shots	9
23	Effective Tackles	9
29	Tackles	12
0.8	Tackle %	0.8
0	Interceptions	0
23	Effective Clearances	18
36	Clearances	31

Game Information

Competition: UEFA Champions League

Venue: Etihad Stadium
Location: ,
Attendance: 44,026

UEFA Champions League Table

#	TEAM	GP	GD	PTS
1	Ajax Amsterdam	0	0	0
2	Arsenal	0	0	0
3	Atalanta	0	0	0
4	Athletic Club	0	0	0

Full Table

Line-Ups

Manchester City (4-4-1-1)

No.	Name
25	Joe Hart (GK)
6	Joleon Lescott
4	Vincent Kompany
13	Aleksandar Kolarov
5	Pablo Zabaleta
18	Gareth Barry
42	Yaya Touré
19	Samir Nasri
21	David Silva
10	Edin Dzeko
16	Sergio Agüero

Manchester City Substitutes:

Carlos Tevez, Stefan Savic, Adam Johnson, Costel Pantilimon, Kolo Touré, Gaël Clichy, Micah Richards.

Napoli (3-4-3)

No.	Name
1	Morgan De Sanctis (GK)
28	Paolo Cannavaro
6	Salvatore Aronica
14	Hugo Campagnaro
23	Walter Gargano
88	Gökhan Inler
18	Juan Zúñiga
11	Christian Maggio
7	Edinson Cavani
22	Ezequiel Lavezzi
17	Marek Hamsik

Napoli Substitutes:

Federico Fernández, Andrea Dossena, Antonio Rosati, Ignacio Fideleff, Goran Pandev, Blerim Džemaili, Mario Santana.

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