MANCHESTER CITY striker, Carlos Tevez (Maroon shirt) dribbled past Malaysia goalkeeper in the match where Manchester City beat Malaysia 3-1.–Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester City FC beat Malaysia 3-1 in a friendly match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here Monday night.
This was the first time Manchester City are making an appearance in Malaysia as part of their 2012 Summer Tour.
The team dubbed as “The Blue Moon Rising” with household names like Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Yaya Toure were quick off the blocks when referee Mohd Amirul Izwan Yaacob blew the starting whistle.
The visitors opened accounts through Arguero in the 17th minute when he dribbled past a feeble Malaysian defence that paled in comparison to the side that faced Arsenal last week.
After the breather, Roberto Manchini’s boys continued to double their attack and Carlos Tevez managed to score the team’s second goal in 47th minute.
Five minutes later, Malaysian goalkeeper Mohd Farizal Marlias had to pick the ball from the back of the net once again when Adam Johnson received the ball from Aguero and squeezed in the third goal for Manchester City.
Despite facing a more experienced side, the Malaysian side under coach Datuk K. Rajagobal managed to stage a late fight-back through a solo effort by Azamuddin Mohd Akil, three minutes before the end.
Azamuddin managed to dribble past two Manchester City defenders – Pablo Zabaleta and Kolo Toure – before putting the ball past substitute goalkeeper Eirik Johansen.
Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) President Sultan Ahmad Shah then presented the medals and trophy to both teams. — BERNAMA