LEICESTER, KOMPAS.com - Manchester City melangkah ke semifinal Piala Liga Inggris atau Carabao Cup. Pada perempat final, The Citizens menang adu penalti 1-1 (4-3) atas Leicester City di Stadion King Power, Selasa (19/12/2017) atau Rabu dini hari WIB.
Adu penalti dilakukan setelah kedua tim bermain imbang selama 120 menit. Bernardo Silva membawa tim tamu unggul pada menit ke-26, tetapi disamakan Leicester City pada pengujung waktu normal.
Pada pertandingan ini, Manchester City tampil mendominasi permainan pada babak pertama dengan 58 persen penguasaan bola. Mereka punya tujuh peluang dengan empat di antaranya tepat sasaran, berbanding empat milik Leicester.
Dominasi itu membuahkan satu gol melalui Bernardo Silva pada menit ke-26. Ia berhasil menceploskan bola ke gawang Ben Hamer seusai menerima umpan dari Ilkay Guendogan dan melepas tembakan dari dalam kotak penalti Leicester.
3 - Bernardo Silva has had a hand in three goals in his last three appearances for Man City (one goal, two assists), as many as in his previous 22 combined. Spark.
Sergio Aguero © Ist
Bola.net - Sergio Aguero dikabarkan akan hijrah ke Real Madrid di bursa Januari mendatang, usai Manchester City memutuskan untuk melepasnya - menurut laporan yang beredar di Spanyol. Sang striker menunjukkan penampilan luar biasa untuk The Citizens musim ini dengan mencetak 13 gol. Namun demikian, ia tidak lagi mendapat prioritas main setelah klub menghadirkan Gabriel Jesus dari Palmeiras. Dan menurut laporan El Chiringuito , Aguero kini ingin meninggalkan City usai berselisih paham dengan Josep Guardiola dan Madrid siap memanfaatkan situasi tersebut. Meski Aguero diturunkan sebagai starter di laga melawan Tottenham pekan lalu, ia tidak masuk dalam skuat utama di derby Manchester - sesuatu yang tidak bisa diterima sang striker dengan baik. Sergio Aguero Aguero kabarnya masih kesal dengan keputusan tersebut. Sang striker juga terlihat marah ketika ia ditarik keluar di babak kedua melawan Spurs, di mana Aguero tampak melempar kaus tangannya dan bahkan tak melihat sedikit pun ke arah Guardiola. Madrid sendiri tengah membutuhkan striker baru, usai sebelumnya juga diklaim mengincar Mauro Icardi dan Harry Kane. Aguero sendiri akan dengan senang hati kembali ke Spanyol, usai ia sebelumnya sempat jadi idola di Atletico Madrid. Menariknya, Aguero tak menjadi bagian dari skuat Manchester City di laga Piala Liga melawan Leicester City semalam, meski bermain selama 90 menit di fase sebelumnya. (chi/rer)
Pep Guardiola celebrated Manchester City’s penalty shootout victory over Leicester City to secure a place in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup and extend their unbeaten domestic run to 27 matches, but the Spaniard categorically ruled out any possibility that his squad could pull off an unprecedented quadruple.
Although the City manager was full of praise for his players and singled out the contribution of Claudio Bravo, who saved Riyad Mahrez’s penalty after Jamie Vardy had also missed from the spot, he refused to entertain any suggestion that his team could win the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League in the same season.
Vardy and Mahrez fluff lines and Manchester City win penalty shootout Read more
“That is not going to happen. Of course not,” he said. “Come on, that isn’t real. What we’re living isn’t real. The situation of winning 16 or 17 games in a row in the league and qualifying for the Champions League before we finished the group stage and now we’re here playing with a lot of young players, that is not normal.
“In football you drop points and you lose competitions. I am not thinking about how many titles, I am thinking about the next game.”
City appeared to have the quarter-final sewn up in normal time only for Bobby Madley, the referee, to award Leicester a controversial penalty in the 97th minute, when he penalised Kyle Walker for a foul on Demarai Gray, who seemed to go to ground rather easily. Walker was later booked for diving and Ilkay Gündogan also received a yellow card for simulation.
Guardiola, who had fielded a much-changed City team, was clearly upset at the time of the penalty, but afterwards he preferred to reflect on the way his players responded. “What is important is how we reacted. Whether it was a penalty or not, the referee is there and the TV is there, so the important thing is how we reacted. We could have gone down because it was the last minute and it was tough, especially with a lot of young players.”
In a strange incident in the second half, a fan tried to confront Guardiola in his technical area only for stewards to intervene and prevent the supporter, who lost his footing, from making contact with the City manager. “I think he wanted my shirt,” said the City manager. “I was safe. Maybe next time he needs to wear better shoes.”
Bertanding di kandang lawan, Manchester City sebenarnya tidak menurunkan skuat terbaiknya. Pelatih asal Spanyol tersebut memberikan kesempatan kepada pemain muda seperti Phil Foden dan Oluwatosin 'Tosin' Adarabioyo untuk bermain sejak awal.
Meski begitu, Manchester City menguasai laga sejak peluit awal dibunyikan. Kerja sama Bernado Silva dan Gabriel Jesus di lini depan kerap merepotkan kiper tuan rumah, Ben Hamer.
Pada menit ke-26, Manchester City membuka keunggulan lewat Bernado Silva. Eks gelandang AS Monaco tersebut sukses mengonversikan umpan Ilkay Gundongan menjadi gol.
Tak ingin menelan malu di depan publiknya sendiri, Leicester mulai meningkatkan serangan. Namun, hingga babak pertama berakhir, skor 1-0 untuk The Citizens tetap bertahan.
Pada babak kedua, Leicester melakukan perubahan taktik dengan memasukkan Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardi, serta Demarai Gray. Ketiga pemain tersebut mampu memberikan dampak positif bagi permainan The Foxes. (Simak jalannya pertandingan di sini ).
