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Manchester City vs Shakhtar Donetsk. UEFA Champions League Group C.

Etihad StadiumAttendance52,020.

Manchester City 1

  • I Gündogan (56th minute)

Shakhtar Donetsk 1

  • M Solomon (69th minute)

Man City 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: City top group despite under-par draw

Report as Ilkay Gundogan's opener (56) is cancelled out by Manor Solomon (69)

Ilkay Gundogan of Manchester City celebrates with teammate Kevin De Bruyne after scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League group C match between Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk at Etihad Stadium
Image: Ilkay Gundogan celebrates with team-mate Kevin De Bruyne after putting Man City ahead

Manchester City secured top spot and safe passage to the last 16 from Champions League Group C despite an under-par performance in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk at the Etihad.

The draw, paired with Atalanta's win over Dinamo Zagreb at the San Siro, means City have the option to play a weakened side in their final group game in Zagreb in a fortnight.

Shakhtar should have led after 15 minutes as Tete's goal-bound shot from an acute angle was deflected off the line by Fernandinho, and Ilkay Gundogan made the visitors pay after the break with a close-range finish after good work from Gabriel Jesus (56).

Player ratings

Man City: Ederson (5), Cancelo (5), Fernandinho (7), Otamendi (6), Angelino (5), Rodrigo (5), Gundogan (6), De Bruyne (6), Bernardo (6), Sterling (5), Jesus (6)

Subs: David Silva (6), Foden (NA)

Shakhtar: Pyatov (6), Dodo (7), Kryvtsov (7), Matviyenko (6), Ismaily (6), Patrick (6), Stepanenko (6), Tete (7), Kovalenko (6), Konoplyanka (6), Junior Moraes (6)

Subs: Solomon (7), Marcos Antonio (NA), Sikan (NA)

Man of the match: Fernandinho

But Shakhtar levelled with a rare second-half attack as Manor Solomon, who had only been on the pitch four minutes, finished a fine move from 10 yards (69).

Shakhtar Donetsk's Israeli forward Manor Solomon (2L) celebrates scoring their first goal to equalise 1-1 during the UEFA Champions League football Group C match between Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk at the Etihad Stadium
Image: Shakhtar Donetsk's Manor Solomon celebrates his equaliser with team-mates

How uninspiring City got the job done

At the home of slick and beautiful football in recent years, this was one of the more forgetful first halves the Etihad crowd had witnessed.

Shakhtar had the best chance after Ederson made a hash of a clearance near the touchline, but Tete chose to shoot at a near-empty goal from an acute angle instead of squaring to the unmarked Junior Moraes, and Fernandinho blocked superbly.

Team news

City made five changes, some out of choice and some forced; Angelino was in for Mendy, Otamendi in for Stones, Bernardo in for David Silva, Gundogan in for Mahrez and Jesus in for the injured Aguero.

Alan Patrick then skied from 15 yards unmarked after Tete's pull-back as City's hazardous defence again looked out of sorts, while City's best chance came when Nicolas Otamendi's fierce header was held well by Andriy Pyatov.

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City finally broke the deadline 11 minutes after the restart as Jesus rolled his marker well before squaring to Gundogan, and the German could not miss, slotting into a near-empty net from 10 yards with his right foot.

Manchester City's German midfielder Ilkay Gundogan shoots to score the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League football Group C match between Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk at the Etihad Stadium
Image: Gundogan shoots to score the opening goal

On the balance of the game, Shakhtar deserved a leveller, and they got it through sub Solomon, slotting home after Dodo had cut it back from the right byline during a slick attack.

City nearly went back ahead instantly, but David Silva's low, first-time shot hit Kryvtsov, then goalkeeper Pyatov, and was then cleared off the line again by Serhiy Kryvtsov as Shakhtar survived.

And that's how it stayed, despite Phil Foden's late introduction to add some spark. The result allows Guardiola to rest some players in Zagreb, which on this showing, will be a welcome bonus.

What the manager said

City boss Pep Guardiola said: "Seven years in a row means you have to qualify seven times and being there to go through. But now this competition in February will be completely different, tougher. We'll see in which conditions we arrive there. This competition is about the details.

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says his side's Champions League knockout qualification can allow them to focus on the Premier League

"But now it is time to focus on the Premier League.

"In the second half I saw good things and things we have to improve. But of course we're in the next stage and that's the most important thing when you start the group stage."

Opta stats

  • Manchester City are now unbeaten in their last 10 group stage games in the Champions League (W7 D3), since losing back to back games in September 2018 (Including a 2-1 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk in December 2017).
  • Shakhtar Donetsk have drawn three consecutive Champions League games for the very first time.
  • Shakhtar Donetsk have gone unbeaten in four consecutive Champions League away games for the first time in their history (W2 D2).

What's next?

The draw for the last 16 of the Champions League takes place on Monday December 16 in Nyon, with proceedings set to start at 11am, UK time.

Next up, Manchester City go to Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday at 12.30pm, while their final Champions League group-stage match will be at Dinamo Zagreb on December 11 at 5.55pm.

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