Manuel Pellegrini: Man City can still advance despite winless start to group - 7M sport

Manuel Pellegrini: Man City can still advance despite winless start to group



Posted Wednesday, October 22, 2014 by ESPN

A defiant Manuel Pellegrini says he is still confident that Manchester City will qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, despite throwing away a 2-0 lead to draw with CSKA Moscow.

City have not won any of their three group games so far after the Russian champions mounted a comeback which left Pellegrini ruing his side's second-half performance in the Khimki Arena.

The Chilean refused to discuss referee Istvan Vad's decision to award a penalty for Aleksandar Kolarov's challenge on Seydou Doumbia, which Bibras Natkho converted for CSKA's equaliser.

But he was adamant City can still finish in the top two of a group that also includes Bayern Munich and Roma, telling Sky Sports: "Of course. We have nine points more to play for. After that we will see which team has most points."

Manuel Pellegrini: Man City can still advance despite winless start to group
Manchester City squandered a two-goal lead on Tuesday and will have to make up points against Bayern Munich and Roma.

City have only taken two points so far but seemed set for victory when Sergio Aguero and James Milner scored before the break.

And Pellegrini added: "I think we played very well, we scored two goals and we have clear chances to score two or three more goals but we didn't and we had to play 90 minutes against a good team. If you give them space, they are a dangerous team."

The City manager denied his side were complacent and said they did not win "because football is 95 minutes, not [just] the first half. I think that may be an excess of trust in the second half. We didn't have the pace and move the ball as we did in the first half and we didn't have one chance to score. Finally they scored that penalty that the referee whistled for CSKA."

Pellegrini served a touchline ban for City's 1-0 defeat to Bayern after criticising Swedish official Jonas Eriksson last season and declined to comment on Vad's decisions, saying: "I don't want to talk about the referee."



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