- Title: Man City reach knockout stage with draw at Gladbach
- Date: 23rd November 2016
- Summary: MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) MANCHESTER CITY COACH PEP GUARDIOLA ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY COACH, PEP GUARDIOLA, SAYING: "The result was good for both teams and that's why we draw in one of the next rounds, so we have the qualification in the pocket until February, so now we can focus finally just on one competition in January, the Premier League. We can be satisfied because we are new - this club, these players, they are so so new in Europe." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANCHESTER CITY COACH, PEP GUARDIOLA, SAYING: "I think in any finals all the teams will be real real tough, real tough. For example Bayern Munich is like us, so second in the position (in the Bundesliga). The team who is going to face Bayern Munich is going to suffer, so I am lucky in that case because we are not going to play against Bayern Munich. So I think today... four years ago the Champions League, the first stage, the first round it was like a little bit ok.. it was easier, and the start of [being] a little bit serious started in the quarter finals or something like that. Today, all the teams are so strong and everything can so we are going to wait the draw and we are going to see." PHOTOGRAPHERS GUARDIOLA LEAVING BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH COACH ANDRE SCHUBERT ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE SCHUBERT SHOWN ON CAMERA SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (German) BORUSSIA MOENCHENGLADBACH COACH, ANDRE SCHUBERT, SAYING: "It is also very difficult to say but I think we've grabbed a very important point in a really very complicated game which took lots of different turns, where our opponent was very strong and there was a lot of tactical play. For a while we were outnumbered, then we were back on an equal footing, lots of things happened, yellow cards..." VAROUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
- Embargoed: 8th December 2016 23:03
- Keywords: Borussia Moenchengladbach Manchester City Champions League draw knockout
- Location: MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY
- City: MOENCHENGLADBACH, GERMANY
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA00159NYM9R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Manchester City booked a spot in the Champions League last 16 after securing a 1-1 draw at Borussia Moenchengladbach in their Group C match on Wednesday (November 23) as both teams had a player sent off.
The hosts, who secured third place in the group and will go into the Europa League, took a surprise lead through Brazilian Raffael before David Silva equalised on the stroke of halftime.
Gladbach were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when captain Lars Stindl was sent off following a second booking but City's Fernandinho also saw red 12 minutes later.
The result lifted second-placed City to eight points, four behind leaders Barcelona, who won 2-0 at Celtic.
"We can be satisfied because we are new - this club, these players, they are so so new in Europe," Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola told reporters after the match.
Gladbach are third on five, three ahead of the Scottish champions.
"I think we've grabbed a very important point in a really very complicated game which took lots of different turns," Gladbach coach Andre Schubert said.
Fielding a formidable attack with Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Jesus Navas, City coach Pep Guardiola, back in Germany for the first time since leaving Bayern Munich in the close season, made his intentions clear from the start.
His players pressed high in the Gladbach half and controlled possession, but the Germans - without a win in their last six league matches - remained disciplined.
City failed to carve out a clear scoring chance and the hosts struck on the break with Stindl charging through and laying the ball off for Raffael to fire in.
Guendogan almost equalised soon afterwards but his low shot saved by Yann Sommer.
The keeper also parried Aguero's effort but could do nothing when unmarked David Silva slipped into the box to tap in Kevin de Bruyne's cutback in first-half stoppage time.
Gladbach's night took a further turn for the worse when Stindl was dismissed following a body-check off the ball on Nicolas Otamendi.
Fernandinho's sending-off levelled the numbers up again and neither team were prepared to risk much for a win in the closing stages as the result suited both. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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