RateTheRef

With just one win and one draw from their previous five matches, this was City's last game of the campaign, with nothing but pride to play for in

Wednesday 12th December 2018
Uefa Youth League
Manchester City   2   v   1   Hoffenheim
Tore Hansen (Norway); Oskar Geir Isaksen, Skjeseth Elias Isaak Bashevkin (as per team-sheet: all the right names, not necessarily in the right order)
4thers: Martin Coy completing his hat-trick - perhaps he comes cheap.

Mr Hansen did well to march the teams across the pitch to the occupied stand, rather than wave to unoccupied seats as had happened before, though some City players seemed rather put out by the extra exertion involved. Nevertheless they started brightly and deservedly went ahead on 10 minutes. Their attackers were causing the German defenders considerable trouble, with their pacy number 11 in particular running rings round his full-back - and occasionally round himself. Mr Hansen, incidentally, proved well capable of keeping up with the many rapid forays. A number of crosses came to nothing, with JCFC thinking City badly lacked a poacher - until the 34th minute when yet another cross from the left was powered home to give City their second.

The pattern continued in the early stages of the second half, with Hoffenheim picking up a couple of cautions as they decided that fouling was the only way of stopping attacks. Gradually though, Hoffenheim came back into the match and on 74 minutes it was their turn to stroke a low cross into the net to narrow the gap. City steadily replaced their threatening attackers and fell back on defence - which might have proved costly had the Hoffenheim striker not lifted a golden chance over the bar on 88 minutes. Four further yellow cards were shown in the final half hour, two to each side.

It was a fairly easy game for the referee - little to argue about, the cards being pretty clear-cut, with the possible exception of the one for the visiting number 2 who went for the ball as the keeper dashed out to save, but as he had just had a talking-to about a number of previous offences, the card was not entirely unmerited. It was a competent performance by Mr Hansen, but at 40 there seems to be no prospect of his taking over the mantle of the waning Moen.