Manchester City come from behind win against Monaco 5-3

By Martin Samuel for the Daily Mail PUBLISHED: 21:36 GMT, 21 February 2017 | UPDATED: 10:28 GMT, 22 February 2017

Maybe this is the game through which Manchester City will finally learn to love the Champions League. For if they cannot now, they probably never will.

There were eight goals scored, and all but the last changed the state of play. Manchester City ahead, Monaco level, Monaco ahead, Manchester City level, Monaco ahead, Manchester City level, Manchester City ahead. And then even further ahead.

It was the first time eight goals had been scored in the first leg of a Champions League tie, and the first in a European Cup tie since Real Madrid beat Swarovski Tirol 9-1 on October 24, 1990.

There is a substantial difference, however, between a one-sided drubbing and this twister of a tie, in which reputations were made and trashed as the energy and balance of power deliriously swirled.

What an occasion it was, what a spectacle. City almost out of Europe one moment, appearing stronger than ever the next — 3-2 down with 20 minutes to go, 5-3 up 12 minutes later. And Monaco missed a penalty.

A word of warning, mind you. Against a Monaco team with this attacking potential, even two goals clear, no tie is over with 90 minutes still to play. City will have to be at their best in the return. Both teams are at their strongest going forward, and 3-1, for instance, would send Monaco through.

Perhaps, after this, City’s supporters will begin to see Europe’s greatest tournament as more than a vehicle to vent their anger at UEFA. They were ready to shout conspiracy here, too, after a first-half penalty they thought should have been awarded, and one in the second-half they thought shouldn’t — they were right about the first, not the second — but they went home happy enough.

And why not? It was the greatest match here since Sergio Aguero’s title-winning goal against Queens Park Rangers and, naturally, he was at the centre of it last night, too. Twice, he equalised, and also had a hand in the fifth. His opposite number for Monaco will feel more of a mix of emotions. Radamel Falcao scored twice — as many goals as he got in this city for Manchester United in an entire season — but missed the penalty that changed the game. Had it gone in, Monaco would have led 3-1 and maybe City would have crumbled.

Instead, Falcao’s failure re-energised the stadium in a howl of righteous anger and encouragement. Even though Monaco did score again after that, this surge of emotion carried City forward.

It had started well enough, the hugely impressive Leroy Sane shooting over after seven minutes, Monaco’s defensive rock Kamil Glik booked for a foul on him moments later – and out of the return leg. City had already gone close twice when they opened the scoring after 26 minutes. 

Raheem Sterling scored it, but Sane’s celebrations were wildest, and justifiably so. It was Sane in midfield, holding off a succession of challenges and keeping the ball under control; Sane who worked the ball to David Silva; Sane who made ground for the return and Sane who struck the cross. Sterling, in a great spot, tucked it away, but Sane was worthy of an assist. About four of them, in fact.

City’s flaws, however, are significant — and one of them is the distribution of goalkeeper Willy Caballero. The problem is Pep Guardiola wants him to be something he is not: good at football.

He had already mislaid several passes when, in the 31st minute, he tried to float one into midfield, failed miserably, and saw the ball mopped up by Fabinho, who laid the ball off, got it back and hit a deep, low cross that Falcao met with a magnificent diving header. Here, at last, was the player Manchester United thought they were getting in 2014.

There followed the incident that looked to have turned the game in Monaco’s favour, while also turning the air blue with local fury. In the 34th minute, Aguero was put away, rounding goalkeeper Danijel Subasic only to be sent tumbling. Referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz brandished what many expected to be a red for the Monaco man. Instead, it was a yellow, provoking groans. Groans that turned to howls on realisation it was a yellow for Aguero, for diving.

The mood was hardly improved when Yaya Toure was booked for a foul on Bakayoko – thanks to another alleged pass from Caballero — and then Fernandinho followed him. The free-kick this time was taken quickly, 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe alert to it, Nicolas Otamendi and Caballero not. What started as a simple chip over the top was smacked smartly into the net by the teenager tagged the new Thierry Henry. He certainly looked the part in spells here.

The second half, however, belonged to City. Eventually. 

First, the game-changer. In the 48th minute, as if to hone the local persecution complex, Monaco were awarded a penalty. That it looked justified, Otamendi bringing down Falcao, seemed to hardly matter. Outrage enveloped the Etihad. If this affected Falcao, he is not the player he looked at other times. Either way, he took an age over the kick and then struck it, soft to the right and far too near City’s goalkeeper. Never give a sucker an even break. Falcao did. Caballero saved.

Now the stadium was beserk for revenge. Maybe this troubled Subasic. His goalkeeping for City’s equaliser was as poor as Falcao’s penalty taking. Sterling put Aguero away, but hopeless handling from Subasic at the near post turned a tame shot into an equaliser and brought to an end 580 minutes of goalless Champions League knockout football for Aguero.

But if there is a lesson for City in the return it is that Monaco were not done. Falcao got away from Stones with ease and finished with a quite sublime chip over the head of Caballero, from close range, up and down like Andy Murray to the back of the court.

Yet, having seemingly thrown it away, again, from nowhere a blue tornado arrived.

For some reason, Monaco forgot City’s defensive vulnerability and allowed themselves to be pushed back. Fatal mistake. City, like them, are at their best going forward and Aguero has a point to prove, having lost his place to Gabriel Jesus. What a sweet strike it was to equalise again – volleying in a David Silva corner from 12 yards, but Monaco had allowed him far too much space.

Now Guardiola’s men were as irresistible as Monaco had once seemed. Another corner saw them ahead, this time from Kevin De Bruyne, flicked on by Toure and converted by Stones, inexplicably unmarked, at the far post. Had he not put it in, it would have fallen to Aguero, similarly unguarded. Monaco were falling apart.

The fifth confirmed that. Toure, Silva, Aguero and finally Sane combined in a wonderful passing move, yet with a striking absence of challenges from men in red shirts.

Delirium reigned. There have been a few revivals here, but none quite like this.

Manchester City punch a ticket to knockout stages, beats Roma 2-0

Champions League: Manchester City conquer Roma to make last 16

Manchester City progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League after beating Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night.

Second-half goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta secured a win which, coupled with Bayern Munich’s 3-0 home victory against CSKA Moscow, means that Manuel Pellegrini’s side qualified as runners-up behind the Bavarians in Group E

The visitors made the breakthrough thanks to Nasri’s long-range strike on the hour mark, before a late goal by right-back Zabaleta confirmed the result.

However, the Premier League champions still needed captain Joe Hart to produce a number of word-class saves before their victory was sealed.

The result means City finish Group E on eight points and are in the hat for Monday's draw, where the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid could be lying in wait.

It was the home team who started the brighter of the two sides, and none more so that their pacy forward Gervinho, with the former Arsenal player causing Zabaleta all kinds of problems down the left wing.

After one neat move early on involving both Gervinho and Roma skipper Totti, the ball was fed through for Jose Holebas to have a clear sight of Hart’s goal, only for the England goalkeeper to do well to come quickly off his line and smother the Greek's close-range shot.

City were not without their own moments of promise in the opening period though, with James Milner in particular testing Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis with one effort from the edge of the area.

Meanwhile, the England international was then unlucky not to put the visitors ahead six minutes before the interval, only for the Giallorossi shot stopper to keep his shot out at the near post after good approach play by the lively Jesus Navas.

However, after Milner had been denied by De Sanctis, Gervinho immediately broke broke clear of the City back line, with Hart again needing to produce a brilliant fingertip save to stop his low shot from finding the bottom corner of the net.

The second period mainly belonged to the English side with City’s nerves - already calmed by news of Bayern having taken the lead against the Russian champions at the Allianz Arena - soothed even more by Nasri’s brilliant opener.

Picking up possession of the ball some 20 yards out on the left-hand edge of Roma’s penalty area, the mercurial Frenchman decided to try his luck from distance with few other alternatives to aim for in the box.

And it proved to be the right decision, with the midfielder’s powerful drive leaving De Sanctis with no chance in the Roma goal as the ball flew into the back of the 'keeper’s net off the inside of the post for what was his first goal of the season.

City, though, still needed to rely on both Bayern holding firm in Bavaria and their own goalkeeper to seal their place in the knockout phase of Europe’s premier club competition, with the latter’s contribution absolutely vital to their victory.

The England No 1 firstly turned aside Miralem Pjanic's shot from the edge of the area, then kept out Rajda Nainggolan’s long-range piledriver after 65 minutes, before the City skipper did even better to get his fingertips on to Konstantinos Manolas’s header, with the post also helping keep the effort out.

And from the resulting corner, much-maligned centre-back Martin Demichelis was in the right place at the right time to block substitute Mattia Destro’s close-range effort on the goal line as Roma’s hopes began to fade.

In fact, the hosts' hopes were extinguished with just four minutes to go when Nasri played in the marauding Zabaleta on the right-hand channel of the area before the Argentinian kept his cool to fire City into the knockout phase.

Jamie Carragher's verdict

"It was a proper European performance that we’ve been looking for from City not just this year, but in years gone by. It doesn’t mean they played free-flowing football or they were fantastic on the eye – they weren’t.

"After the first 15 minutes they came through the scares and grew into the game. At times it wasn’t pretty to watch and it wasn’t great football. But they made it difficult for Roma and grew into the game. It comes off the back of a lot of big players missing, like Kompany and Aguero."

Barcelona stars score in a 3-1 come from behind win over Paris Saint Germain

Barcelona finish top of their Champions League group for the eighth season in a row

Neymar scored a spectacular goal as Barcelona came from behind to defeat Paris St-Germain at the Nou Camp and finish top of Group F.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave PSG the lead with a low finish from 10 yards after being teed up by Blaise Matuidi.

But Barcelona equalised through Lionel Messi, his 75th goal in the competition coming after Luis Suarez's low cross.

Neymar's sublime 25-yard finish and Suarez's close-range effort sealed PSG's fate, but they still go through.

Neymar's goal was a wonderful effort, the Brazil striker bursting away from the PSG defence before producing a dipping, swerving shot from distance that flew past Salvatore Sirigu.

Then in the second half Sirigu parried Neymar's shot and former Liverpool star Suarez pounced to score his second goal since moving to Spain. The victory means Barcelona have finished top of their Champions League group for the eighth season in a row.

However, the French side missed several good chances and their profligacy resulted in their first Ligue 1 or Champions League defeat of the season. PSG striker Edinson Cavani also had a shot cleared off the line by Barcelona defender Marc Bartra.

"We have improved as a group a lot," said Uruguay striker Suarez."We know that together we can go places, and that's what we're doing."

Barcelona finish with 15 points from six games, two more than Paris-St Germain, who will be unseeded in next Monday's last-16 draw.

PSG head coach Laurent Blanc praised Barcelona's finishing.  "The best players don't need much to convert a tiny chance into a goal,'' he said. "That is what happened for Barcelona's first two goals.''

Arsenal blasts Galatasaray 4-1, qualifies to the next round

Galatasaray 1 Arsenal 4: Aaron Ramsey and Lukas Podolski doubles ease the pressure on Arsene Wenger

By Jeremy Wilson, Turk Telekom Arena

11:22PM GMT 09 Dec 2014

After the boos, jeers and abuse in Stoke on Saturday, this match will be remembered for an authentic wonder goal from Aaron Ramsey that actually prompted gasps, cheers and applause from both sets of fans.

Ramsey may have as many as 15 years left in front of him at this level but it is doubtful whether he will ever strike a ball more sweetly than the 35-yard first-time left-footed volley that put Arsenal 3-0 up. Typically understated, Ramsey was content to agree that it was “up there with my best” as he left Istanbul on Tuesday night.

The ball was still rising when it hit the back of Sinan Bolat’s goal and, after a brief pause to compute what had happened, the spontaneous appreciation from many of the Gala­tasaray supporters told its own story.

Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, later admitted that Ramsey was so far out that he had initially not even wanted him to shoot. “I felt at the time it was not the right decision, but he proved me wrong,” he said.

The wider significance was of Ramsey showing further clear signs of his best form. His goal on Saturday against Stoke had been his first in 18 games and, after both he and Lukas Podolski had earlier put Arsenal into a 2-0 lead, his spectacular second here was also sufficient to effectively seal victory in only the 29th minute.

Following recent stutters, a 4-1 win will help to ease tensions among the club’s fan base although, this being Arsenal, there was an inevitable caveat. Ramsey and Mathieu Flamini both came off at half-time with respective tightness in their hamstring and groin, with Wenger at pains to stress that his two fit remaining central midfielders should be fine for the match against Newcastle United on Saturday.

Wenger was also delighted by what he called a “strong response” to the 3-2 defeat by Stoke City on Saturday although the “Arsene, thanks for the memories but it’s time to say goodbye” banner did also make its way to Istanbul on Tuesday night.

Arsenal were guaranteed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League for a 15th successive season before Tuesday night’s match. Having finished as runners-up in Group D, they again face the prospect of meeting one of the tournament favourites when the draw is made in Nyon on Monday. Real Madrid, Porto, Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Monaco and Paris St-Germain are among the potential opponents.

The usual intimidation and electric atmosphere of any match against Galatasaray in Istanbul was rather compromised on Tuesday night by the sight of a half-empty Turk Telekom Arena. Galatasaray’s poor form earlier in the competition had meant they were unable to lift themselves off the bottom of the group even in victory but, after replacing Cesar Prandelli with Hamza Hamzaoglu as interim manager, they had gone into the match on the back of consecutive wins. They had lost only four of their previous 20 home matches in Europe but the lethargy of the crowd was soon evident in the players’ performances.

Arsenal, by contrast, had begun with nine full internationals even while leaving the likes of Alexis Sánchez, Danny Welbeck, Olivier Giroud, Kieran Gibbs and Santi Cazorla back in London. In fielding a front three of Lukas Podolski, Joel Campbell and Yaya Sanogo, Wenger had also selected people with much to prove.

Podolski has been the most vocal of those Arsenal players demanding more of a first-team opportunity and, within three minutes, he had his chance. Ramsey had made a powerful run from midfield and, with Galatasaray right-back Tarik Camdal having wandered out of position, fed Podolski in space just inside the penalty area. The angle was tight but there are few footballers in the world who can generate more power than Podolski and before Bolat could even set himself, he had smashed his finish into his near-post top corner.

With nothing to play for, Galatasaray were willing to keep pushing forward in fairly kamikaze style and, while Hakan Balta missed a wonderful chance to level, they were hopelessly open to Arsenal’s attacks.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was looking far more effective playing from a central midfield position and, after Podolski made a rare tackle to win back possession, had the chance to run at the Galatasaray defence. It created further space, with Ramsey peeling off to the left and side-footing his finish beyond Bolat.

The chances kept coming. Podolski was again given time and space to unleash his thunderbolt of a left-foot shot and he rattled the crossbar after being fed by Ramsey.

The Wales midfielder then created a chance for Campbell that was deflected over and another opportunity for Podolski, who forced a fingertip save from Bolat. Campbell took the resulting corner and it appeared to have been headed to safety deep inside the Galatasaray half. Step forward Ramsey, who smashed his spectacular volley into the top corner.

Ramsey himself even looked shocked by the quality of his finish and simply began laughing rather than celebrating.

The ease with which Arsenal were creating chances prompted eyes to turn to Dortmund, where a draw would allow Wenger’s team to top Group D if they won by six goals. Wenger admitted that at half-time he felt it was still possible but the need to rest Ramsey and Flamini ensured a loss of momentum. “It was too much for us to hope we could score six but I have no regrets with the players I left at home,” Wenger said.

Ramsey and Flamini were to be replaced by two academy midfielders in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Gedion Zelalem. The experience will benefit the 17-year-olds but Arsenal did lose their control of midfield. Only a brilliant block from Per Mertesacker denied Umut Bulut but Galatasaray got the goal that their second-half dominance had merited when Wesley Sneijder curled an 88th-minute free-kick past Wojciech Szczesny. The three-goal lead was then almost immediately restored with Podolski’s second of the night.

Liverpool exits Champions League after Basel draw 1-1

Liverpool crash out of Champions League after meek show against Basel

At least in that frenzied late assault, after Steven Gerrard had equalised and the team in red gave absolutely everything to add another occasion to their all-time list of great comebacks, we saw a few glimpses of the old Liverpool spirit. Yet the damage had already been done and for the majority of this match it had been mystifying to see them play with so little drive and momentum when anything but a win meant dropping into the clunky Thursday-night-Sunday-afternoon cycle of Europa League football.

It was a pulsating finale and Liverpool’s late attempt at escapology was certainly commendable given they had to contend with Lazar Markovic, a half-time substitute, being sent off barely a quarter of an hour after coming on. Their 10 men threatened the most improbable ending but the awkward truth is it had been another night to expose the scale of Liverpool deterioration before Gerrard’s 81st-minute free-kick arced into the top corner.

Liverpool might have nicked it in those impassioned final moments but a match is judged over 90 minutes, not 10, and at times it felt as though Brendan Rodgers’s players had temporarily forgotten what is expected of them on the big European nights, under the floodlights, in front of their own crowd. Instead, they had been politely ushering themselves to the door. Of all the disappointments, that was probably the most perplexing.

It is just a shame for Liverpool that they left it so late before finding any real belief and found it beyond them when it was even numbers.

They had set out knowing only a win would suffice and yet the sense of urgency that might have been anticipated during the opening exchanges never materialised. The crowd were strangely subdued and as Basel sized up their opponents, then elegantly took control, it was strange to be at Anfield for one of these important fixtures and find a team doing so little to turn up the volume.

Basel had a boisterous following but they also had the knowledge they had beaten English opposition, including Chelsea twice last season, on their previous four encounters. They quickly showed their tactic would not be conservatism and fully deserved the half-time lead courtesy of Fabian Frei’s firecracker of a shot after 25 minutes.

Liverpool in those moments had looked what they now are: a Europa League side. More than anything, they seemed stripped of confidence. In one revealing moment out by the touchline, Jordan Henderson, Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva all left a dropping ball to one another and the nearest opponent, Taulant Xhaka, was completely unchallenged with his header.

When Raheem Sterling had Liverpool’s first opportunity his diminished assurance was plain in the way he declined the chance and tried a pass that was never on. Liverpool were teetering, ragged, dispirited and barely recognisable from the side that had bewitched Anfield last season.

What happened in the second half was unorthodox in many ways. Markovic had replaced the peripheral Rickie Lambert during the interval and in his brief time on the pitch he did at least inject a touch more drive into Liverpool’s attack. Then, as the game ticked past the hour, he and Behrang Safari went for the same ball. Markovic was slightly ahead of his opponent and the Liverpool player did swing back his right hand. Yet it was the merest of touches, barely a flick of fingertips against Safari’s nose, and almost certainly meant as a hand-off rather than something more violent. Safari was probably the game’s outstanding performer but his reaction was exaggerated in the extreme and undoubtedly helped to convince the Dutch referee, Bjorn Kuipers, it merited a red card. Liverpool were entitled to be aggrieved and Rodgers’s anger went as far as saying it should have been Safari who was sent off.

José Enrique had also been replaced at half-time and the double substitution was a measure of how alarmed Rodgers must have been about Basel’s superiority. “We just weren’t good enough,” he said. “We weren’t anywhere near where we wanted to be, not even close.”

Yet the paradox was that Liverpool, a man down, improved considerably when everything seemed lost. Sterling, now operating in the centre-forward role, started to flicker with menace. Gerrard reminded everyone of his qualities, lifting the crowd with a thunderous challenge on the impressive Xhaka, then running clear and was denied only by a fine save from Tomas Vaclik, diving at his feet.

Gerrard’s equaliser came shortly afterwards and it was a dramatic ending as the ball ricocheted around the Basel penalty area and the crowd roared for someone to apply a decisive touch. Overall, though, Basel used the ball with greater expertise and, as Rodgers acknowledged, looked the more rounded team.

The move for Frei’s goal was a case in point, featuring a crisp exchange of passes, a clever one-two with Luca Zuffi just outside the penalty area and then a 20-yard shot, left-footed and with the minimum of back lift, to pick out the spot just inside Simon Mignolet’s left-hand post.

The Swiss league leaders had several other chances in the first half, whereas Vaclik barely had a scrap of mud on his kit during the same period. Liverpool, with five points out of six games, left it too late and will be jealous onlookers when the Champions League resumes in February. 

Dortmund draw Anderlecht 1-1, qualifies to knockout stages

Dortmund draw to finish top; Leverkusen limp through in second

After leading Dortmund to a win against Hoffenheim on Friday night in the Bundesliga, Jürgen Klopp made six changes to his starting eleven against Anderlecht - the most notable of which was the first start of the season for Nuri Sahin.

With Arsenal taking an early lead in Turkey, Dortmund knew a defeat would tip the scales for top spot out of their favor. Ciro Immobile's shot on the turn forced a good save out of Anderlecht goalkeeper and captain Sylvio Proto, before Dortmund's own goalkeeper, Langerak made a smart one-on-one save to deny Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Proto was on hand again to first deny Shinji Kagawa with a fine reflex save, before denying Immobile again. In tune with the nature of the game, then Anderlecht had another chance on goal - Sasa Kljestan firing over with Langerak seemingly beaten. The first half ended with Ibrahima Conte looking for a penalty after a challenge from Nuri Sahin, but he was denied one and the first 45 minutes ended without any goalscorers.

Ilkay Gündogan continued to pull the strings in midfield, but Proto kept responding to keep Anderlecht level. That was until just before the hour mark when a smart pass from Sahin was tucked away by Ciro Immobile - the Italian's fourth Champions League goal in five games.

As frustrated a figure as Proto was, he returned to making saves - twice denying a confidence-sapped Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Dortmund's inability to take their chances came back to haunt them again though when Anderlecht got an equaliser in the final 10 minutes. Great work on the right wing by Anthony Vanden Borre ended in a cross that Aleksandar Mitrovic headed in from close range.

There was no late drama as Dortmund held onto a draw that saw them finish top of their group for the second consecutive year.

Paris Saint Germain dealt Barcelona its first loss in all competitions 3-2

BBC

Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season as Paris St-Germain moved top of Group F with a thrilling Champions League victory.

The visitors, who had not conceded all season before arriving at Parc des Princes, fell behind when former Chelsea defender David Luiz scored.

Lionel Messi grabbed an equaliser but Marco Verratti nodded in PSG's second.

Blaise Matuidi poked in a third and although Neymar reduced the deficit, Barcelona could not find an equaliser.

They pressed in the closing stages but found the PSG defence, led by the impressive Luiz, hard to break down.

Barcelona substitute Xavi Hernandez made Champions League history by coming on for his 143rd appearance in the competition - more than any other player.

Victory for the PSG, meanwhile, continued their unbeaten start to the season and means they are now top of their group with four points, one more than Barcelona.

Gerard Pique header seals Barcelona win over Apoel Nicosia 1-0

Pique gestures to the crowd after he scored the opening goal of Barcelona's 2014-15 Champions League campaign

Barcelona 1-0 Apoel: Gerard Pique heads home Lionel Messi's free-kick as Spanish giants survive scare from Cyprus champions

Only a brilliant late save from Barcelona's debutant goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen prevented Barcelona dropping two points at the Camp Nou against Apoel.

The club's relentless production line of young players ticked off another couple of teenage debuts as Luis Enrique gave 19-year-olds Sergi Samper and El Haddadi Munir their first Champions League starts but the understrength team selection made for a nervy 1-0 win sealed only by Gerard Pique's first half header.

Coach Luis Enrique marked his first game in charge in Europe by blooding the two teenagers and by giving goalkeeper ter Stegen his first start and he was the later hero saving from Gustavo Manduca.

El Haddadi Munir has now debuted for Barça, Spain and in the European Cup in the last month and for Samper it was a European start before he has even played a league game.

There were seven products of the youth academy Barcelona will have to rely on more than ever if the Court of Arbitration in Sport upholds the FIFA ban on them making transfers for a year, on the pitch, and there was even a former Barça youth player on the Apoel side with Urko Pardo.

He said before the game that he had grown accustomed to saving Messi shots coming up through La Masia and he was tested on 11 minutes palming the Argentine’s free-kick away for a corner. Messi then dribbled across the face of the Apoel penalty area before setting up Neymar who shot wide.

On 28 minutes the breakthrough came when Messi whipped in a free-kick from the right-hand channel and Gerard Pique got in front of Vinicius, much to the defender’s visible fury, to head past Pardo.

Messi looks back to his sonic best and he played the pass of the night to Neymar five minutes before the break. Neymar returned the favour but Messi’s shot was blocked by Pardo.

With Barcelona in total control they started the second half parked in the Apoel half and with goalkeeper Ter Stegen at times situated 10 yards outside of his penalty area. He had already headed one long ball forward away from outside the penalty box. But there was a dangerous complacency to the ease with which they were dictating play and Apoel grew in confidence. 

There was still time for Mario Sergio to save Messi's goalbound shot and Apoel to so nearly steal a point only for Ter Stegen to deny them.

It had also been a night for anniversaries with Messi marking 14 years at Barcelona and Barcelona supporters remembering former coach Tito Vilanova, who would have been 46 on Wednesday. Both are in their own way symbols of Barcelona’s youth system and it was La Masia that had benefited most from this victory.

Beating the Cypriot champions 1-0 will not reverberate around the rest of Europe but Luis Enrique will count the debuts to his young stars as victories and be satisfied to have seem them take all three points. 

Jerome Boateng brought down Manchester City with a late goal 1-0

Champions League: Jerome Boateng sinks Manchester City as Bayern Munich win 1-0

The hosts had the better chances of the opening 45 minutes as both Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski hit the side-netting after rounding Joe Hart, who was in inspired form to keep both Muller and Mario Gotze at bay.

Hart denied Gotze again in a much more subdued second period, while David Silva threatened for City, but Boateng, who left Eastlands after a year with the club in 2011, struck with one minute remaining on the clock via Gotze's back to secure the three points.

Bayern were without Franck Ribery for the Group E opener but Pep Guardiola’s three-pronged attack still boasted plenty of goal threat with Lewandowski leading the line, while Arjen Robben returned to the bench following a knee injury.

Manuel Pellegrini, who was serving the final game of his touchline ban, opted to start Edin Dzeko ahead of Sergio Aguero up front in the most eye-catching of his four changes from Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Arsenal.

It was Guardiola’s men who began the liveliest and within 40 seconds of kick-off, one side of the ground thought Bayern had taken the lead as Muller rounded Hart after racing through on goal, only to find the side-netting as he lost his footing.

The German felt Hart had tripped him as he looked to apply the finish but Spanish referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco waved away the protests in an early warning for City assistant Ruben Cousillas.

City were seeing more of the ball than they might have expected in the opening stages, though, and Dzeko forced Manuel Neuer into a smart low stop at his near post after being threaded into an acute angle by Silva.

It was a fairly open start to proceedings and Joe Hart was called upon for the first time after 18 minutes with a superb one-handed save to deny Muller’s goal-bound header, before Boateng sliced over from the resulting corner.

Hart was busy again two minutes later to beat away Gotze’s deflected effort, while Dzeko curled a wicked left-footer inches wide of Neuer’s post at the opposite end after a swift City break up-field.

After two half chances in quick succession for Dzeko, David Alaba looked to up the ante in Bayern’s favour, lashing wide from range before Hart pushed away his half-volley after the ball had fallen kindly on the edge of the City box.

The hosts were beginning to find their rhythm and Lewandowski threatened for the first time on 35 minutes in a similar chance to Muller’s early miss, rounding Hart but hitting the side-netting after Alaba’s through ball.

Bacary Sagna, who came into the side for the suspended Pablo Zabaleta, then saw a near-post header pushed away by Neuer from Samir Nasri’s corner as the game remained goalless at half-time.

Five minutes after the restart, Philipp Lahm dragged a low strike wide after being invited to shoot from range before Hart clutched onto the ball after Vincent Kompany’s block had taken the sting out of Gotze’s shot.

City were prompted into their first change on 57 minutes as the match-winner in this fixture last year, James Milner, replaced the largely ineffectual Nasri.

Bayern had started the second half the brighter of the two and there was a nervy moment for Hart as he misjudged the flight of Rafinha’s cross from the right, but the England keeper managed to recover in time to push away the danger from Mehdi Benatia’s return ball.

City looked at their most dangerous on the counter-attack and an incisive move into the Bayern half culminated with Silva launching himself at a right-wing cross from Navas that he was just unable to direct on target.

That chance triggered a brief spell of possession inside the Bayern half for the visitors but Martin Demichelis was still needed to stand firm to block and then hook away Bernat’s inviting low cross from the left.

Hart then spilled a speculative strike from Rafinha but managed to react in time to block Muller’s rebound from close-range, although the linesman’s raised flag would have spared his blushes.

Dzeko made way for Aguero on 73 minutes, while Robben replaced Muller soon after for the hosts. The Dutchman was soon in the thick of things as his penalty appeals were dismissed after going to ground under the close watch of Fernandinho.

Silva then felt he was fouled inside the area at the other end after a clumsy challenge from Benatia.

Bayern were pressing for a late winner as Hart produced another stunning stop to push away Boateng’s long-range strike before the former City man finally broke the deadlock with one minute on the clock as he lashed home a half-volley from the resulting corner.

Replays later showed the strike to have taken a slight deflection on its way off the back of Gotze, but the former City defender was quick to claim a rare goal. 

Substitute David Pizarro smashed into Hart’s side-netting moments later, while Aguero poked wide the game’s final chance after a gut-wrenching finale for the Premier League side.

Dortmund tops Arsenal 2-0 on Champions League opening game

Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Arsenal: Ciro Immobile and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang fire hosts to victory on humbling night for Gunners

And right here was the reason the Champions League seedings have got to change next year.

Arsenal are about as close to being among the top eight teams in Europe as Borussia Dortmund’s mighty and magnificent Westfalenstadion is to a wet Wednesday at Gresty Road, Crewe.

They were outclassed in Germany, outplayed, at times torn apart, reduced to an imitation of a team that UEFA blithely placed in Pot 1 when the draw was made earlier this month. Arsenal have no business sitting beside the champions of Europe and the Goliaths of the strongest European leagues right now.

They have been allowed to make the most of an impressive run of qualifications and the odd foray into the last eight, but this can no longer hide the reality. The scoreline did not flatter Borussia Dortmund. Their margin of victory could have been doubled, even trebled, without complaint. 

Their opening goal, in the final minute of the first-half, was their 15th attempt – and if anything their chances after half-time were better, if less frequent. They totalled 22 by the time referee Olegario Benquerenca of Portugal called a halt to a very one-sided contest.

Quicker, sharper, more intelligent, with greater determination at the back, quite simply Dortmund should not be this far ahead. Jurgen Klopp is a fine coach, but he presides over a club that is constantly battling to keep its finest players, often without success. The best are picked off, by Bayern Munich or the elite of England’s Premier League – Arsenal would fancy their chances of getting a player out of Dortmund every time, as they once did with Tomas Rosicky.

Yet the Germans were on a different plane. Only mistakes in front of goal stopped this being a painfully sobering rout. As it was, even the appearance of a 19-year-old rookie, Hector Bellerin, at right back cannot excuse Arsenal’s inferiority. Nothing that happened was Bellerin’s fault; and Dortmund were missing Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.

Yes, Arsenal had the odd chance, too – but even this meagre resistance raised more questions than answers, all falling to new signing Danny Welbeck, who did little to refute Louis van Gaal’s criticisms of him. The Dutchman, not reluctant to back his judgement even in the worst of times, may be saying that he told us so.

Arsenal were desperate for a striker to supplement the injured Olivier Giroud, but their problems run deeper than that. Mikel Arteta was deployed to guard the back four, but that is not his natural role and it showed. 

Dortmund were too quickly into the heart of Arsenal’s defence; any team of attacking quality will enjoy playing against them now. Arsene Wenger was once invincible with men like Patrick Vieira in midfield. It seems incredible that he no longer finds such physically imposing figures relevant to how Arsenal play.

The goals summed up Arsenal’s malaise. The first was horridly soft and come from a bungled visitors' throw-in. Possession was lost, the ball was cleared and Ciro Immobile picked it up inside his own half.