Poznan punish lacklustre City

Roberto Mancini
12 April 2012

Two late goals from Lech Poznan condemned faltering Manchester City to a 3-1 defeat - their third successive loss - and increased the pressure on manager Roberto Mancini.

With the scores locked at 1-1 following efforts from Dimitrije Injac and Emmanuel Adebayor, City's Europa League Group A rivals struck twice in the last five minutes to take the points.

Dedryck Boyata headed against the unwitting Manuel Arboleda to make it 2-1 before Mateusz Mozdzen hit a screamer from the edge of the area to seal it in style.

It was Jose Maria Bakero's first match in charge of the Polish side following his appointment on the eve of the game and he immediately followed in the footsteps of Arsene Wenger and Mick McCarthy in outwitting the troubled Mancini.

The Italian's side should have been ahead in the 17th minute, Patrick Vieira first missing from a tight angle then Adebayor seeing his close-range header nodded back off the line by Bartosz Bosacki. Seconds later Boyata spurned an even better chance, heading tamely into the ground from a couple of yards.

Poznan used the let-off as a spur to up their game. First Slawomir Peszko sent a free-kick skidding past the post before Semir Stilic bent a first-time effort narrowly wide from the edge of the box.

By half an hour the Poles had a deserved lead. Patrick Vieira lost possession to Ivan Djurdjevic deep in the Poznan half, with the ball eventually finding Sergei Krivets on the left flank. His cross was average but two ineffective defensive headers saw the ball fall to Injac, who lashed a low volley into the bottom corner from 25 yards.

City levelled five minutes after half-time when Adebayor thrashed home James Milner's corner at the second attempt

Substitute David Silva came close for the visitors with 20 minutes left, Adebayor chipping back into the box from the byline and the Spaniard volleying into the turf, only for the ball to loop up and strike the crossbar.

With five minutes left on the clock a hopeful ball into the City box was met by Boyata, but he only succeeded in heading the ball back off Arboleda and the ball nestled in the far corner. Mozdzen, a substitute, scored a goal more fitting of the result in the final minute when he profited from Vincent Kompany's error to beat Shay Given with a rocket from outside the area.

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