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Schalke vs Manchester City. UEFA Europa League Group A.

Veltins ArenaAttendance54,142.

Schalke 0

    Manchester City 2

      In-form Ireland sinks Schalke

      Image: Ireland: Second goal

      Stephen Ireland made sure of a second win in Group A for Manchester City who secured a 2-0 win on their travels to Schalke.

      City clinch place in next round with 2-0 win

      Manchester City cemented their position at the top of Group A with a determined 2-0 win over Schalke. Having absorbed the pressure early on and fended off countless attacks by the former Uefa Cup winners, City completely transformed the game to make it two wins from two games in Group A. Their progression to the knockout stages was later confirmed when Racing Santander drew with Paris St Germain in the other group game. Benjani's opener was completely against the run of play as he picked up on a perfectly timed run from Daniel Sturridge and with a simple tap-in slotted the ball home past three Schalke defenders. And their lead was doubled after the hour mark when in-form Stephen Ireland scrambled home an initial cross by Benjani from an awkward angle 25 yards out. Stopper Joe Hart pulled off a number of spectacular saves against a constant Schalke attack to walk away with a rare clean sheet in Germany. Fully deserving the win in a solid performance at the Aufschalke Arena, Mark Hughes' side move two points clear of their German opponents with a one-hundred percent record in Group A.

      Changes

      Hughes made two changes from the side that posted a 3-0 victory over Arsenal at the weekend, with Sturridge replacing Robinho, who was nursing an ankle injury. Former Germany international Dietmar Hamann also found himself in the starting line-up, replacing Pablo Zabaleta (thigh). Vincent Kompany and Richard Dunne featured as centre-backs, with Micah Richards and Javier Garrido completing the back four. Also missing for the visitors were Elano, for personal reasons, and Gelson Fernandes (hamstring). Sturridge set the pace for an entertaining first half just five minutes into the game when he delivered a dangerous cross from the left wing which flew past everybody.
      Spectacular
      Hart then made a spectacular diving save after Heiko Westermann had sent Jermaine Jones into the clear with an incisive midfield pass. The Germany midfielder pulled the trigger from 14 yards out on the right but Hart diverted the ball for a corner. Schalke stopper Manuel Neuer was alert, too, catching a promising cross from Richards under pressure. After Hart saved a 20-yard volley from Jones, Darius Vassell tried his luck with a shot from outside the right corner of the box which flew well wide.
      Chances
      There were chances on either side, with Neuer saving a header from Vassell and Hart clearing from Kevin Kuranyi inside the six-yard box. Ivan Rakitic also had a promising effort blocked by the joint efforts of the City defence. The visitors eventually opened the scoring in the 32nd minute following a superb counter-attack. Kuranyi turned the ball over for Sturridge to dart down the left wing and the 19-year-old outstripped his opponent and fired in a low cross. It failed to reach Stephen Ireland in the middle but Benjani was there at the far post to sweep the ball home.
      Vulnerable
      Schalke failed to create any significant openings in the rest of the half but were vulnerable to counter-attacks, with Neuer denying Ireland from 14 yards out. The rebound was driven in by Benjani and Ireland knocked it home - only for the linesman to raise his flag. Michael Ball replaced Garrido after the break as City's defence continued to stand tall against Schalke's toothless attacks. In fact it was the visitors who had the first chance when Shaun Wright-Phillips forced Neuer into a good save with his right-footed shot from 30 yards out. Richards then saw the first yellow card of the match for stopping an Altintop counter-attack. The resulting free-kick, however, brought no danger.
      Goal
      Ireland was also cautioned shortly afterwards - but moments later, in the 67th minute, the midfielder found the back of the net for a second time, this time legitimately. Benjani had a shot blocked in the left channel, and the ball landed at the feet of the unmarked Ireland who easily beat Neuer with a low shot. The sell-out crowd of 54,142 fans grew impatient with their team's fruitless attempts to break down City's defence. Substitute Gerald Asamoah came closest in the 76th minute following a free-kick from Christian Pander but his header from seven yards out was superbly saved by Hart. Jo then replaced Benjani in the 84th minute, and the in-form striker received a standing ovation from the 3,000 City fans in attendance as the game drew to a close.
      FC Schalke 04 Team Statistics Manchester City
      0 Goals 2
      0 1st Half Goals 1
      3 Shots on Target 5
      2 Shots off Target 3
      5 Blocked Shots 1
      7 Corners 3
      15 Fouls 19
      1 Offsides 7
      0 Yellow Cards 2
      0 Red Cards 0
      85.6 Passing Success 73.1
      14 Tackles 22
      100 Tackles Success 77.3
      64.2 Possession 35.8
      56.9 Territorial Advantage 43.1

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