City Given new hope in UEFA Cup

They always get away with it in Europe, don’t they?

Manchester City needed a penalty shoot-out to see off the Danish side AaB Aalborg after a five minute self-destruction act to allow the Danes back into the match after winning the first leg 1-0.

City struggled throughout the evening but looked to be cruising into the next round before Luton Shelton pulled a goal back with five minutes remaining.

And the game was forced into extra-time when Michael Jakobsen netted Aalborg’s second from the spot in the 90th-minute after Ched Evans had handled in his own box.

But Shay Given was the hero for City in the penalty shoot-out, saving from Thomas Augustinussen and Shelton.

Manchester City are now one of 8 teams in the quarter-final pot, along with Hamburg, PSG, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kiev, Werder Bremen, Marsellile, and Udinese, who knocked out holders Zenit St. Petersburg on aggregate.

If the Citizens do go on to win the competition, it will be their first trophy for 33 years, and will be even more amazing considering they started from the very first qualifing round after gaining their berth through the fair play league last season. It just goes to show that it pays to play fair!