Manchester City’s fragile confidence drained away even more in the Spanish rain last night when they finished top of group A despite themselves. Defeat for Twente away to Paris Saint- Germain, which kept City at the summit, was the only good news for Mark Hughes on a night when the poverty of his team’s performance increased the likelihood of the club’s new owners utilising their vast riches in next month’s transfer window.
Dreadful defending contributed to two of Racing Santander’s goals, while City barely threatened before Felipe Caicedo side-footed home in stoppage time. They could be languishing in the Barclays Premier League relegation zone when they kick off away to West Bromwich Albion, the bottom club, on Sunday and, after scoring only two goals in five games, it could be a nervous afternoon for Hughes.
City could face Albion without Robinho, anonymous last night before he was withdrawn at half-time with an ankle injury. Hughes sent his team out five minutes early for the second half but it failed to rouse them. “We had already qualified, so that might have taken a little bit of edge out of our game,” Hughes said.
City were caught off guard by a quick free kick from Pedro Munitis to Óscar Serrano down the left in the twentieth minute. The winger’s cross squirmed out of the grasp of Kasper Schmeichel, the goalkeeper, and Jonathan Pereira tapped home the loose ball. It was 2-0 on the half-hour when Serrano poked the ball past Schmeichel after a fine move.
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Santander, who failed to make the knockout stages because of PSG’s 4-0 win, moved three ahead ten minutes after the interval when Juan Valera hooked home after Iván Marcano had headed back a left-wing cross by Munitis. All three players were unchallenged, summing up City’s dismal night.
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