CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HERO: SEYDOU DOUMBIA SHINES IN CSKA MOSCOW’S SHOCK WIN OVER MANCHESTER CITY
Seydou Doumbia has once again written his name into CSKA Moscow folklore. The Ivorian striker was the hero of the night on Wednesday, scoring twice to lead his side to a stunning 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League.
CSKA coach Pontus Wernbloom was full of praise for the striker, calling him “a hero”.
“We had decided to implement our Plan B — the counterattack — and it worked. We are confident for the rest of the competition,” said Wernbloom.
“In the first leg, Doumbia could barely walk, and he still scored a goal and won a penalty. His preparation was cut short due to injury. So yes, we can call him a hero tonight.”
CSKA also benefited from City’s tight schedule, with the Premier League side coming off a high-intensity derby win against Manchester United just days earlier.
Doumbia, who had been recovering from injury, admitted his surprise at being named in the starting lineup:
“I was surprised to start the match, but thank God everything went well. The key to this match was our mental strength and determination. I stayed very focused from start to finish,” he said.
“I’ve come a long way after my injury. I’m not surprised we won, because we believed in ourselves. That’s football. Now we’ll do everything to overtake Roma and qualify.”
With this win, CSKA have revived their hopes of reaching the knockout stage — and once again, Doumbia is at the heart of their European adventure.
