Memorable nights in City’s quest for European trophies
HAVING already won two Premier League titles as City manager, the next challenge for Pep Guardiola is to bring the Champions League trophy to the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues have never won the biggest prize in European football, but they did get their hands on continental silverware in the form of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1970.
They also competed in the UEFA Cup on numerous occasions, and have enjoyed some fantastic victories in the Champions League in more recent times.
As we look ahead to a possible second leg clash with Real Madrid, here are City’s best European nights at Maine Road or the Etihad...
■ CITY 5 MONACO 3, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 (2016/17)
CITY beat Barcelona 3-1 in the group stage, but their 5-3 victory over Monaco was one of the greatest games in Champions League history.
It started well for the Blues, who took the lead through Raheem Sterling, only for Monaco to go 2-1 and then 3-2 up through a Radamel Falcao brace and Kylian Mbappe effort.
City came on strong in the closing stages, turning the match on its head thanks to goals from John Stones, Sergio Aguero (his second of the night) and Leroy Sane.
It was a remarkable evening of football, but City came unstuck in the second leg and went out on away goals.
■ CITY 5 SCHALKE 1, CUP WINNERS’ CUP S-F (1969/70)
JOE Mercer’s men overcame Athletic Bilbao, Lierse and Academica to set up a semi-final showdown with Schalke.
The Germans edged a tight first leg 1-0, meaning nothing less than victory would do for City at Maine Road.
Even a win might not have been enough given that the FA Cup holders had failed to score in Gelsenkirchen.
The Blues blew Schalke away in the return fixture, taking a 3-0 lead into half-time thanks to Mike Doyle’s opener and a brace from Neil Young.
Franny Lee and Colin Bell gave the scoreline an even more emphatic look in the second period, before Schalke scored a consolation in the 89th minute.
■ CITY 3 MILAN 0, UEFA CUP THIRD ROUND (1978/79)
IT was a case of fourth time lucky for City in the UEFA Cup. The club had qualified for the competition three times earlier in the decade but failed to progress beyond the first round on each occasion.
They reached the quarter-finals in the season in question after a 5-2 aggregate triumph over Milan.
There was everything to play for following a 2-2 draw in the first leg, but the Blues proved too strong for the Rossoneri at Maine Road, securing a comfortable win thanks to goals from Tommy Booth, Asa Hartford and Brian Kidd.
■ CITY 3 BAYERN MUNICH 2, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE (2014/15)
SERGIO Aguero’s strike against QPR in 2012 isn’t the only example of the Argentinian’s last-gasp heroics coming to City’s rescue.
Bayern Munich dominated much of this group-stage clash, but the Blues defended with resolve and character to keep the deficit at 2-1 heading into the final five minutes.
That’s when Aguero came to life. The striker finished coolly to equalise after a mistake from Xabi Alonso, then stabbed the ball past Manuel Neuer to give City an improbable win.