- Title: SOCCER-VIETNAM/CITY Pellegrini pleased with Sterling in 8-1 rout of Vietnam
- Date: 27th July 2015
- Summary: HANOI, VIETNAM (JULY 27, 2015) (REUTERS) **** WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **** STADIUM WITH SEATS FILLED SCOREBOARD SHOWING EMBLEMS OF MANCHESTER CITY AND VIETNAM NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM THE TWO TEAMS LINING UP ON THE FIELD MANCHESTER CITY PLAYERS STANDING IN LINE DAVID SILVA (LEFT) AND JASON DENAYER MIDFIELDER JESUS NAVAS TEAM LINE-UP RAHEEM STERLING GOALKEEPER JOE
- Embargoed: 11th August 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Vietnam
- Country: Vietnam
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVAESX4GEQCQOKR0Q51BM93UQBEP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Raheem Sterling scored twice in 12 minutes to lead Manchester City to an 8-1 rout of Vietnam on Monday (July 27), stretching an impressive pre-season run following his recent high-profile move from Liverpool in a 49 million-pound ($76 million) deal.
Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva also scored twice for a City side testing out youngsters in a lop-sided match before a near-sellout Hanoi crowd.
Marcos Lopes slotted under the keeper after 73 minutes and Jose Angel Pozo made it eight with 12 minutes left.
Vietnam salvaged a consolation goal in the dying seconds when striker Nguyen Van Quyet lobbed the ball over substitute keeper Willy Caballero.
After the match, City Manager Manuel Pellegrini said that he was hopeful that his team will recover the title from Chelsea after winning it in 2014.
"I hope that we are going to have a good performance. Last year we were runner-up after Chelsea. I hope this year we will recover the title," he said.
Pellegrini praised Sterling's efforts, and was confident that he will show that he was worth the massive transfer fee.
"Raheem, I think that he is a very good player, that's why we brought him here to our team. I think he gives us a lot of things we didn't have in our squad. You watch the way he played today, he has a lot of speed and I'm sure that in the future he will demonstrate why we paid so much money for him," saod Pellegrini.
One player that is leaving the club is Stevan Jovetic who is set to join Inter Milan subject to a medical there on Tuesday (July 28). The Montenegrin joined City in 2013, but injuries meant that he was unable to sustain a regular place in the team.
"Yes, unfortunately Stevan had to go because he played here two years, I think he is a very good player, one of the best player I have seen. But unfortunately for him, he has too many injuries, that's why he couldn't play a lot of games in a row," said Pellegrini.
The victory today was City's third in four pre-season games on the road after wins in Australia over Melbourne City and Roma and a 4-1 defeat by Real Madrid. City play VfB Stuttgart in Germany on Saturday (August 1). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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