RATINGS
Raheem got back to doing what he loves ... testing defenders and laying on a goal for the brilliant Sane
Sane 45, 61 mirror.co.uk/sport/football
EDERSON
Excellent save to touch away Kramaric’s curling effort
STONES
Uncomfortable at rightback, had a header saved by Baumann OTAMENDI
Difficult time against Kramaric and struggled to cope with his threat LAPORTE
Conceded the penalty before he had a double effort saved ZINCHENKO
Deployed at left-back, but the Ukrainian did not really shine BERNARDO SILVA Looked a real live-wire for City with his dribbling and passing GUNDOGAN
Sat in nicely in midfield and went very close from a free-kick
FODEN
Grew into the game gradually and forced a fine Baumann save STERLING
Showed immense character and always positive in attack GABRIEL JESUS
Headed against the post and looked a threat most of the time SANE
Superb free-kick to equalise before slotting home his second
SUBS: Walker (Stones 45) 6 Delph (Zinchenko 64) 6 Kompany (B Silva 85) REF: ATT: THE haters might carry on hating, the racists might continue to abuse, but Raheem Sterling will just keep on doing what he loves.
Having a ball on the football field, feinting, dashing, beating men at will, assisting, serving his team, searching for goals.
This was not Sterling at his most spectacular, that was reserved for Leroy Sane.
This was Sterling doing the day job he relishes, testing defenders, creating openings.
This was Sterling wanting to be a headline-maker for his excellence not for being the verbal target of morons. For what he had to endure on Saturday and for his continuing defiance of stereotypical, racially-motivated criticism, Sterling has the sympathy and the support of every rightminded football fan.
But that should not make him immune from the sort of scrutiny that goes with the territory of an elite player.
There is no room victimizing, but room analysing.
Over the last few days, for example, the fearful slating he received in the wake of England’s abominable Euro 2016 – when he hash-tagged himself TheHatedOne – has been held up as yet for for another example of him being treated unfairly, being grotesquely singled out.
And it is a prime example, make no mistake. No-one else in the squad was vilified quite like Sterling, not even Joe Hart.
Yet there is no airbrushing the fact Sterling had an extremely poor tournament, just as he had many frustrating spells in that three-year period without an England goal.
What is mightily impressive is how this young man has coped with the combination of fair and grossly unfair examinations over the course of his career. Not only coped but improved to become one of the most exciting talents in the world. That is why so much is expected of him every time he takes the field.
Sterling has become a City talisman but his early struggles in this game were symbolic of his team’s lethargy.
The only surprise was that it took a quarter of an hour for Aymeric Laporte to gift Hoffenheim the lead by wrestling Benjamin Hubner to the deck and enabling Andrej Kramaric to beat Ederson from P W D L F
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