City ease into Europa League group stage

Posted Friday, August 27, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Shaun Wright-Phillips scored his first goal of the season to help Manchester City overcome FC Timisoara at Eastlands and cruise into the group stages of the Europa League.

The England winger produced a calm finish in the 43rd minute to open the scoring for Roberto Mancini's side as the brave resistance of the Romanian minnows was eventually broken.

Dedryck Boyata made it 2-0 in the second half with a close range header to score the first goal of his professional career and leave the game finished as a contest.

Mancini showed the incredible resources at his disposal by making seven changes to the side which thrashed Liverpool on Monday night, without them actually weakening his starting line-up.

The most notable of these were the return of Patrick Vieira and David Silva, while Jo was given a rare chance to shine in attack, although Shay Given still had to be content with a place on the bench as his manager kept faith with Joe Hart.

It was Jo's first start for 20 months and his big opportunity to show Mancini he can still have a future at the club.

But, like most of his colleagues, he struggled to make an impact as City laboured against the visitors for much of the first half.

The opening 30 minutes were ones to forget.

All City could muster in that time was a long range strike from Nigel De Jong which Timisoara goalkeeper Srgain Luchin dealt with comfortably before Jo found some space but saw his cross flash past the face of goal without a team-mate managing to get a touch.

At least City didn't look like conceding a goal as the visitors continued to live off scraps, although the closest they came to giving Hart something to do was when Mircea Axente flashed a shot into the side netting on 22 minutes.

City began to find their feet on the cusp of half time and Jo came closest to breaking the deadlock in the 37th minute, latching onto Silva's accurate cross only to see his powerful header superbly tipped over by Luchin.

Moments later Emmanuel Adebayor burst into the penalty area and evaded two challenges but watched in agony as his curling shot drifted inches wide of Luchin's right hand post.

A goal seemed inevitable and duly arrived two minutes before the interval when Wright-Phillips brought an end to his side's increasing frustration.

The England winger made an intelligent run and latched onto a fine through ball from Vieira before dispatching a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

City appeared to up the tempo after the interval, with Jo wasting a brace of good chances to extend his side's lead before Boyata showed him how to finish when he ghosted in at the back post to meet Silva's free kick and head in from a tight angle on 58 minutes to double City's advantage and end the game as a contest.