City in racism complaint as Aguero grabs late winner
PORTO 1 vs MANCHESTER CITY 2
MANCHESTER CITY are set to complain to European chiefs that Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli suffered racial abuse as the Premier League leaders earned a valuable comeback win last night.
Striker Sergio Aguero’s late winner capped a second-half recovery from the visitors, aided by an own goal by Alvaro Pereira, after Silvestre Varela had put the Portuguese champions in front.
But the Europa League last 32 first leg victory was marred by chants apparently aimed at Toure and Balotelli, and City are thought to be ready to lodge a complaint. Manager Roberto Mancini, who said he had not heard the racist abuse, praised his team’s second-half turnaround, which makes them favourites to reach a last 16 tie with either Legia Warsaw or Sporting Lisbon.
“We played very well,” said Mancini. “I told them only to play as we know how. In the second half maybe we played higher but we had seven or eight chances to score and more importantly we didn’t give Porto any.”
Varela put Porto in front after 27 minutes when he beat Gael Clichy to a drilled cross from Hulk and poked past England goalkeeper Joe Hart.
City equalised in freakish circumstances 10 minutes after half-time, when Balotelli and Pereira jostled to reach Toure’s cross and the ball bounced off the defender’s shoulder and past stranded keeper Helton. Toure also had a hand in City’s winner, charging at the heart of Porto’s defence before squaring for substitute Aguero to tap into the empty net six minutes from time.