City’s UEFA Champions League hopes hang by a thread after a damaging but not quite terminal 2-1 defeat to CSKA Moscow.
Mean and authoritative in the Manchester derby three days previously, City succumbed to their continental neuroses against the Russians on a soul-sapping night at the Etihad.
In Moscowian conditions in East Manchester, two goals from Seydou Doumbia and a pair of red cards for Fernandinho and Yaya Toure took City’s aspirations of qualification for the knockout stages out of their own hands.
Surely no amount of amateur football psychology can satisfactorily explain why the English champions fail to transfer their domestic form into the Champions League but Manuel Pellegrini’s men now have to diagnose and treat this bewildering malady - quickly.
That’s because City are now faced with the daunting task of having to defeat Bayern Munich and Roma to keep any chance of progression alive.
City’s scourge from the first game, Doumbia, gave the visitors a dream start with a with a header from close range after 96 seconds before Toure came up with a spark of inspiration, firing in a trademark free-kick for the equaliser after seven minutes.
Doumbia restored CSKA’s advantage with ten minutes of the first period remaining and that was how it stayed, though the visitors’ cause was helped no end by the dismissals of City’s two midfield generals.
In a freak calendar quirk, the same two sides met on the same date at the same venue a year previously and Pellegrini’s men enjoyed a “Neguero”-inspired 5-2 victory.
The same result was a must to ignite a campaign yet to catch, while a similar margin of victory would surely help to repair frayed fuses on the continent’s biggest stage.
As the City boss had pointed out in his pre-match press briefing on Tuesday, plenty of teams with low points tallies have gone deep in the competition in recent years.
The nine points of Jose Mourinho’s Internazionale in 2009/10 is the lowest-ever total of any eventual winner of the trophy but with just two draws from three games so far this year, City knew that it was high time to start delivering in Europe.
The Chilean prognosticator also forecast a final day shootout with AS Roma for the runners-up slot but that prediction could only come to pass if his team could find their best form on the first cold night of the season when the sulphuric aroma of fireworks hung thick in the air of an expectant stadium.
Without the talismanic David Silva for a month, as well as injury-stricken duo, Aleksandar Kolarov and Frank Lampard, it was an unchanged XI from the side that started Sunday’s Manchester derby.
The only change to the matchday squad was on the bench where Eliaquim Mangala came in for Scott Sinclair.
CSKA included Doumbia from the start this time in front of the dangerous advanced trident of Ahmed Musa, Roman Eremenko and Alan Dzagoev.
Chasing a first clean sheet in 10 Champions League matches and looking to end a run of five matches in the tournament without a win, City needed to get off to a good start.
They would not get it.
When Gael Clichy was penalised for handball one minute in, Bebras Natcho’s whipped-in free-kick was on a plate for an unmarked Doumbia to head home one of the simplest goals he’ll ever score.
It was a sparkler into a bucket of cold water for the hosts but they weren’t behind for long.
On seven minutes, Stevan Jovetic’s slaloming run was ended crudely by a duo of Moscow defenders 20 yards from goal and Toure stepped up with a snipe from that lethal right boot, delivering the set piece up and down over the wall and into the top corner of Igor Akinfeev’s net.
Hope rekindled, Pellegrini’s men went on in search of a second goal but Doumbia could and should have had his second when Martin Demichelis missed an incisive through ball on the slide, giving the Senegalese striker a clear run on Joe Hart’s goal.
Fortunately, Clichy and Vincent Kompany managed to close the space and the shot was fired wide of far post.
Sergio Aguero nearly made good on City’s fortune after 20 minutes but Akinfeev denied the Argentine twice – first, racing out to block Kun’s attempted dink and, on the second occasion, getting his body behind a ferocious strike at the near post.
At this stage, the game had more the feel of an overwrought, frantic Premier League game than what we’ve been used to from previous European engagements, with the sides both appearing to share vulnerabilities in defence.
Sadly, it was the home team’s naivety that was next to be decisively exploited on 34 minutes as the back four were caught square after Clichy’s wayward clearance, allowing Natcho to slide a simple ball through for Doumbia to take a touch and double his tally - his fifth goal against City in four matches.
With no away supporters present to celebrate, a deathly silence fell.
City’s attacks had grown evermore ponderous and predictable as the half wore on – a fact that would have to change if they were to have any chance of saving the night, never mind their European aspirations.
The manager was decisive, bringing Samir Nasri and Fernandinho on at the break, reverting to a 4-3-3 formation with Toure providing support to Aguero from the tip of the midfield arrow.
However, there was no immediate impact from these alterations as CSKA sought to hold onto their narrow advantage but Aguero was a whisker away from converting a handy cross from James Milner on 57 minutes.
Four minutes later, Milner was first to work Akinfeev in the second period with a powerful drive across goal towards the far corner but the Russian international ‘keeper got a leg to it and deflected it away from danger.
Edin Dzeko was introduced as the minutes dwindled by but hopes of an equaliser were dealt a blow when Fernandinho was sent off for a second bookable offence, just 22 minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute.
There were no real complaints for the first yellow card for a trip but the second was harsh to say the least, as the Brazilian was penalised for obstruction when it appeared as though there was little he could do to stop Musa from running into the back of him.
There was further controversy in store as it appeared as though referee Tasos Sidiropoulos booked the CSKA wrong player for a cynical tug on Aguero’s shirt.
Pontus Wernbloom was the guilty party but, much to the disgust of those in sky blue, the Greek official cautioned Sergei Ignashevich instead.
It got worse for City with nine minutes to go as they were reduced to nine men when Toure was shown a straight red card for a frustrated shove on Eremenko.
Then, Aguero was, dubiously, booked for simulation in the last minute of normal time before he was denied a stonewall penalty in additional time.
It was one of those nights.
