Visitors offer little to trouble Manchester City

Manchester City 2 Omonia Nicosia 1:THIS WAS a night when the expensively assembled players of England's wealthiest club must be grateful their opponents were not as lively as the supporters who had followed them from Cyprus.

With their drums, banners and synchronised dance routines, Omonia's boisterous followers made an entertaining sideshow, yet Manchester City seldom gave them any genuine cause to believe that an upset was possible.

It was a functional performance from Mark Hughes's team, who did not have to be at their best to see off willing but limited opponents. That said, Hughes is entitled to be satisfied by the manner in which his players had settled the game by the time the Omonia substitute Rasheed Alabi headed a corner beyond Joe Hart.

A low drive from Elano had given the home side the lead early in the second half, before the excellent Shaun Wright-Phillips slashed in the second goal with a wonderfully struck shot.

With a 2-1 lead from the game in Cyprus there was little danger City would contrive not to feature when the draw for the group stage is made in Nyon next Tuesday.

This was Hughes's strongest available team, the exception being Tal Ben Haim's inclusion instead of Richard Dunne, who had a tight hamstring but should be available for Sunday's game at home to Liverpool.

The breakthrough originated from nothing more cultured than a long goal-kick from Hart and a horrible mistake by centre-half Marcello Pletsch, in misjudging the flight of the ball. Robinho was left galloping along the left wing before looking up to see which of his team-mates had kept up with him. Elano was waiting, 20 yards from goal, and buried an emphatic shot into the bottom right corner.

City began to play more expansively. Wright-Phillips was at the heart of it, and on 55 minutes he wriggled between two defenders and lashed his shot into the same corner that Elano had found.

MANCHESTER CITY:Hart; Zabaleta, Ben Haim, Richards, Garrido; Elano, Kompany (Hamann,66) Ireland; Wright-Phillips, Jo (Evans, 67), Robinho (Petrov, 70). Subs not used: Schmeichel, Ball, Fernandes, Sturridge.

OMONIA NICOSIA:Giorgallides; Ndikumana, Pletsch, Wenzel, Charalambous; Zlogar, Kaiafas (Alabi, h-t); Christofi (Cafu, 82) Bangura (Clayton, 59), Aloneftis; Okkas. Subs not used: Asprogenis, Maris, Aguirre, Pantic.

Referee:S Ennjimi (France).

Guardian Service