Manchester City cruised to the last 16 of the Europa League thanks to goals from Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure in their 3-0 win over Aris Salonika this evening.
Man City were held to a goal-less draw in the previous leg but it was the £27m January signing Edin Dzeko who got on the scoresheet twice early-on after providing two calm finishes.
Roberto Mancini’s men continued to have the lion’s share of possession throughout and Yaya Toure rounded off the victory late on after firing home from a Mario Balotelli rebound off the post.
City are due to play Dynamo Kiev in the next round after they were resounding 8-1 aggregate winners over Besiktas in their round of 32 tie.
City boss Roberto Mancini believes that his side’s strong run in this year’s Europa League will be ideal preperation in their bid for this season’s Champions League spot.
His side will no doubt encounter sterner tests on their way to Europa League glory this season but in patches this evening against Aris Salonika, City looked to have the making of a team that already belongs with Europe’s elite.
Only time will tell as the Blues currently sit 3rd in the Premier League table – on course to gain automatic Champions League qualification at the end of the season.
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andym
Founder and chief editor of La Liga Blog, Andy fell in love with Spanish football after a university placement year in the Costa Del Sol. His favourite Tapas is Albondigas and on Saturday afternoons, Andy can regularly be found trying to emulate his hero Carles Puyol for his amateur football team.