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Author Topic: If at first you don't succeed ...  (Read 950 times)

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JCFC

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Re: If at first you don't succeed ...
« on: Thu 08 Nov 2018 10:54 »
Another whole £1 was invested in a ticket for

Wednesday 7th November 2018
Uefa Youth League
Manchester City   4   v   1   Shakhtar Donetsk
Adrien Jaccottet (Switzerland); Vital Jobin, Jonas Emi. 4thers: Martin Coy (again!)

To deal with the most important matter first: this time the pie was avoided in favour of chicken and leek casserole with crusty bread, which turned out to be very tasty.

With just one point from their three games hitherto, City's prospects of advancing beyond the group stage appeared minimal (at best!) but they started in good form beneath leaden skies and pouring rain. They spent the first quarter hour camped permanently in the Shakhtar half, but their only effort on goal came when a header was acrobatically tipped over for a corner. The visiting number 8(?) received a yellow card for a foul before his side finally managed an attack on 17 minutes, a City defender miskicking a clearance, which looped to an opponent who put in a long low shot, the keeper diving, but merely helping it on its way into the net. Normal service was resumed, with City attacking constantly, making great progress on the flanks, but high balls into the area were doomed to fail, while low crosses succumbed to weight of numbers, longer efforts being off target. There was a yellow for the City number 6 before the break, which once again saw the rain ease.

An early corner in the second half produced a great save from the visiting keeper, but a minute later City equalised with a shot from 30 yards. They had another chance just before the hour, the keeper rolling the bal lout, a defender being dispossessed but the ball was put wide. The pace on the left wing was causing the Shakhtar right back problems and on 62 minutes resulted in a penalty and yellow card. The kick was very coolly converted to put City ahead. A beautifully worked move then ended with a shot against the post, but goals three and four were not long delayed, while M. Jaccottet gave his yellow card a last airing in the direction of the visiting captain, whose foul actually did himself more damage than to his opponent. A good win, which should perhaps have been even more decisive, but probably comes too late in the campaign for City.

M. Jaccottet had been seen once before - in Belfast a few years ago - and had created a favourable impression. There was little in this match to cause him difficulty and his decision-making was sound: a number of early free-kicks established his requirements and then a more relaxed approach developed. Four yellows were issued in all, justifiably if not obviously essential in a couple of cases. It remains to be seen whether he will follow Mr Ardeleanu, the referee above, into the Europa League group stage.