Man City produce thrilling comeback to defeat Schalke
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E-mail Xinhua, February 21, 2019
Ten-man Manchester City turned the tide to overcome Schalke 3-2 on the road in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League's last 16 on Wednesday.
Schalke were unable to defend a 2-1 lead on home soil as Manchester City scored twice in the closing period to shock the hosts.
Manchester City grabbed a bright start as the visitors needed only 18 minutes to break the deadlock after a moment of madness from Salif Sane, who lost the ball in the penalty, giving Sergio Aguero the chance to slot home the opener from close range.
The hosts were able to level the scores with 36 minutes played as Nicolas Otamendi's handball inside the penalty area allowed Nabil Bentaleb to convert the awarded penalty after sending goalkeeper Ederson into the wrong corner.
To make things worse for the visitors, Schalke turned the tide just before the break as Fernandinho felled Salif Sane inside the box. Bentaleb stepped up once again and made no mistake making it 2-1 on the scoreboards in the 45th minute.
Things went from bad to worse for Manchester City as Nicolas Otamendi received his marching orders after booking his second yellow card of the night.
However, the visitors remained unimpressed and restored parity through former Schalke player and substitute Leroy Sane, who unleashed a well-placed free kick into the top right corner.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, it was the Citizens who continued on the front foot, while Schalke defended deep in their territory.
Manchester City's efforts were rewarded in the closing period when Raheem Sterling shrugged off Bastian Oczipka to beat onrushing custodian Ralf Faehrmann into the far post corner for the 3-2 winner.
With the victory, Manchester City have one foot in the quarterfinals meanwhile Schalke will need a 2-0 win in the second leg to progress into the next round.
The Royal Blues will travel to Manchester City for the second leg on April 12.
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