INJURIES TO CENTRE-BACKS Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi overshadowed proceedings as Manchester City reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time by drawing 0-0 with Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.
Leading 3-1 from last month’s away leg, Manuel Pellegrini’s side completed the job in forgettable fashion, with Jesus Navas’s shot against the post for City the nearest either side came to breaking the deadlock.
But first-half injuries to captain Kompany and Otamendi cast a pall over the evening at a hushed Etihad Stadium, leaving City vulnerable in defence ahead of Sunday’s derby with Manchester United in the Premier League.
While progress in the Champions League represents a historic achievement for Pellegrini, who will hand over to Pep Guardiola at the season’s end, the injuries could have a costly impact on City’s attempt to resurrect their domestic title challenge.
The League Cup winners have fallen 12 points below leaders Leicester City, although they retain a game in hand, and face challenges from both United and in-form West Ham United for their top-four place.
Pellegrini welcomed Yaya Toure back from the heel problem that had caused him to miss Saturday’s frustrating 0-0 draw at Norwich City, but within seven minutes he was counting the cost of another injury.
After misjudging a bounce on the City right, Kompany slipped as he tried to recover the situation and immediately realised that he had done himself damage, passing the ball out of play and signalling to the bench before limping off with a look of disgust etched on his face.
The Belgium international, who has suffered 13 calf injuries since 2008, was soon joined in the home changing room by Otamendi, who came off second-best in a collision with Vitaliy Buyalskiy.
- Aguero miscues -
The Argentine attempted to play on, before admitting defeat, leaving City with reserve centre-backs Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis in the heart of their defence.
It was not a combination that will have inspired great confidence among the home support and there were early nerves as Mangala’s missed kick from Demichelis’s pass almost let Lukasz Teodorczyk in on goal.
With the atmosphere affected by the double injury blow, City struggled to get going and when Navas managed to pick Sergio Aguero out with a right-wing cut-back, the Argentine miscued.
Visiting goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy was not tested until early in the first half, when he showed a neat touch to control the ball on his thigh after a defender had inadvertently prodded it towards his own goal.
City began to show signs of life, Toure curling a free-kick over and Aguero dragging a shot wide, before Navas collected a pass from Toure and drilled a low shot against the left-hand upright.
Moments later, City goalkeeper Joe Hart made his first save of the night, comfortably fielding an effort from Andriy Yarmolenko after the Ukraine winger robbed Gael Clichy.
Toure continued to drive the home team forward and he threatened to make the breakthrough from Navas’s cut-back, only for Shovkovskiy to save.
There were two late scares in the hosts’ box when first Buyalskiy and then substitute Olexandr Yakovenko took aim, but Hart blocked alertly on both occasions, giving City a clean sheet for only the second time in their 18 Champions League home games.
Meanwhile, Juanfran’s winning penalty sent Atletico Madrid into the Champions League quarter-finals on Tuesday, clinching an agonising 8-7 penalty shoot-out win over PSV Eindhoven after neither side could manage a goal in 210 minutes across the two legs of the tie.
The first 14 spot-kicks of the shootout were then converted in clinical fashion before PSV’s Luciano Narsingh smashed his effort against the bar.
Juanfran then stepped up to convert the winning penalty and keep Atletico’s hopes of a first ever Champions League victory alive.
It is the second consecutive season that Diego Simeone’s men have progressed to the last eight on penalties after seeing off Bayer Leverkusen in similar fashion a year ago.
And PSV will be left to lament Jan Oblak’s brilliant save to tip Jurgen Locadia’s effort onto the post in the second-half of normal time as the Dutch champions came so close to causing a huge upset.
With the tie delicately balanced, Simeone opted for an extra midfielder in Augusto Fernandez in place of Luciano Vietto from the start, but the hosts were overrun for the first half hour by the visitors.
However, Atletico did enjoy the best chance of the first-half when Koke’s low cross found Antoine Griezmann unmarked just six yards out, but Jeroen Zoet got down to deny the French international his 24th goal of the season.
PSV had captain and top scorer Luuk de Jong back after he missed the first-leg through suspension and the former Newcastle United striker was a constant menace to the usually unflappable Diego Godin.
De Jong was unfortunate when the ball fell just behind him after Oblak cut out dangerous cross from the right.
Atletico settled into their stride at the start of the second-half, but still relied on a set-piece to carve out an opportunity as Jose Maria Gimenez rose highest at the back post only to head Koke’s corner inches wide.
As the hosts opened up, though, PSV became even more of a threat on the counter-attack and were somehow denied the vital away goal on the hour mark when Locadia’s shot was brilliantly tipped onto the post by Oblak and De Jong’s follow-up header from point-black range blocked on the line by Filipe Luis.
Luis stung the palms of Zoet from outside the area and Yannick Carrasco blasted the rebound over on the volley as Atletico struck back moments later.
Simeone sent on Fernando Torres for Fernandez in an attempt to break the deadlock.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea striker at least offered Atletico more of a reference point in attack and twice came close with an attempt lob which landed on the roof of the net before Zoet palmed away his fierce near post drive.
Atletico suffered a huge blow just before the end of normal time when Godin limped off to be replaced by 20-year-old Lucas Hernandez.
However, the young Frenchman had a great chance to make himself a hero early in extra time when he headed over from a corner.
Griezmann’s range was off again when he shot straight at Zoet after great work by Saul Niguez as Atletico dominated during the first period of extra time.
Yet, it was PSV who came closest after the break, but Andres Guardado curled just wide to send the game to penalties.
