Highlights: AS Roma 0-2 Manchester City; Samir Nasri fires City through to knockout stages

Players of Manchester City FC celebrate after the opening goal of Samir Nasri

Manchester City went through to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League for the second season in a row by registering their first ever win on Italian soil. Whoever would win at AS Roma’s Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night were ensured the runners-up spot in Group E, and it was the English team that came out on top by claiming one of the biggest wins in the club’s short ‘history’.

There was a long list of absentees running through the backbone of City’s roster – Vincent Kompany, Yaya Touré and Sergio Agüero. David Silva, after his long layoff with a knee injury, was able to take a substitute’s role, but it was Samir Nasri’s first goal of the season which finally broke the deadlock in the 60th minute.

It was James Milner who helped to create the space for Nasri’s effort, and the Frenchman fired from just over 20 yards into Morgan de Sanctis’s right-hand post. The goal meant that Roma had to score twice to remove City from the second qualifying place behind Bayern Munich.

Joe Hart had shown his big-game qualities throughout the match. He had to keep out Gervinho’s persistant efforts, and was at his best to turn Kostas Manolas’s header against a post. Soon after, City broke again and Nasri set up Pablo Zabaleta who scored from close range in the 86th minute. It was the Argentine’s first ever Champions League goal, and his second in the space of ten days.

AS Roma 0-1 Manchester City: Nasri (60’)

AS Roma 0-2 Manchester City: Zabaleta (86’)