South China 0 Manchester City 1: Dzeko goal secures first win for Pellegrini

It has not been the easiest start to life in English football for Manuel Pellegrini.
Two defeats on the South African leg of Manchester City’s pre-season tour do not bear comparison with the personal loss of his elderly mother Silvia, which brought about an unplanned return to Chile less than a month after starting his new job.
It would have been perfectly understandable if Pellegrini had stayed in Santiago for another few days and taken charge of the second of City’s two games here in the Barclays Asia Trophy, but instead he flew into Hong Kong 24 hours after the funeral.
Goal: Edin Dzeko scores the winner after 21 minutes with a header off a James Milner cross
Goal: Edin Dzeko scores the winner after 21 minutes with a header off a James Milner cross

SOUTH CHINA 0-1 MAN CITY

South China: Barry, Chak, Ticao, Cheng (Martins, 45), Naves, Lee Wai Lim (Lee Hong Lim, 52), Sealy, Tse, Joel, Kwok, Zhang
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta (Sinclair, 75), Kompany, Lescott, Clichy (Kolarov, 45), Milner, Nasri, Barry (Rodwell, 55), Fernandinho (Javi Garcia, 65), Toure (Negredo, 55), Dzeko (Richards, 75)
Goals: Dzeko
His admirable efforts were rewarded with a first win as City boss in a game that will be remembered for very little else.
The pitch in the Hong Kong Stadium was in an awful state following on from the rain-delayed first game between Tottenham and Sunderland, and the opposition are nothing to what City will face in three weeks’ time, even though South China gave Pellegrini’s side some awkward moments in the second half.
The decisive goal came in the 21st minute when James Milner skipped over a tackle and crossed for Edin Dzeko to rise above his marker to head home.
Attack: Kwok Kin Pong of South China heads the ball over James Milner
Attack: Kwok Kin Pong of South China heads the ball over James Milner
Back on the sideline: Pellegrini takes charge having returned from his mother's funeral
Back on the sideline: Pellegrini takes charge having returned from his mother's funeral
Pellegrini will have been particularly pleased with the performance of new £20.6million signing Alvaro Negredo, who came on as a second-half substitute.
The Spaniard is further on in his pre-season training than other new signings Jesus Navas and Stevan Jovetic, but it was still thought that he would be held back for Saturday’s second game against Sunderland.
But Negredo looked sharp and powerful in his 24 minutes on the pitch, meeting a cross from Aleksandar Kolarov with a flying volley just over the bar and then splitting the South China defence with a quite exquisite pass with the outside of his left foot that picked out Dzeko’s run. The Bosnian killed it with one touch and attempted a first-time shot that was brilliantly turned over by goalkeeper Zhang Chunhui.
With Silva, Navas and Jovetic not even part of the squad here, City are certainly looking strong after a summer spend of close to £100m.
Their manager has endured a difficult start, but there are signs of better times ahead.
Aleksandar Kolarov leaps over his opponent
Newcomer: Negredo plays a defence-splitting ball
Impressive: Negredo (left) had a strong infuence on the game after starting on the bench with Kolarov (right)
Safe hands: Hart takes control of his defence
Safe hands: Hart takes control of his defence
Defence: Kompany chases back to deal with a rare South China attack
Defence: Kompany chases back to deal with a rare South China attack
Wet, wet, wet: It is very, very wet in Hong Kong
Wet, wet, wet: It is very, very wet in Hong Kong


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