Mancini blasts ‘stupid’ Mario as City go out

ROBERTO MANCINI has accused Mario Balotelli of stupidity in picking up a red card that cost Manchester City their Europa League place.

Two goals down from the first leg of their last-16 meeting with Dynamo Kiev, City were left to play for almost an hour with 10 men after Balotelli was sent off for planting his studs into Goran Popov’s chest and thigh.

Although they quickly made light of Balotelli’s absence to pull a goal back through Aleksandar Kolarov, City eventually ran out of steam and ideas against a team content to soak up pressure, and a second goal that would have forced the encounter into extra-time eluded them, leaving Mancini a frustrated man at the final whistle.

“If it stays 11 versus 11, we would have probably scored two or three goals,” he claimed. “I didn’t see the foul properly but I am very disappointed because in a game like this it is very difficult if you pick up a red card, and you can pick up a red card for doing something stupid.

“The problem for Mario is that he thinks he could be a fantastic player. But when he does something stupid like that, it is difficult for me, difficult for him and difficult for the team.”

Balotelli’s dismissal had seemed like the end of any City hopes of progressing but such is the quirky nature of this club they instantly halved the deficit.

Kolarov strode onto a short free-kick with relish and belted a low shot through a posse of defenders, catching goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskyi totally by surprise as it flew through his dismal attempt to save.

Micah Richards then powered a header over after climbing to reach Silva’s free-kick, before the Spain star attempted to check back onto his left foot after an opening had been created that invited an effort with his right.

City battled on in the second half but Kiev soaked up their pressure.

With 20 minutes to go, Adam Johnson was drafted on and Edin Dzeko followed soon afterwards as Mancini shed his cautious image.

But with legs tiring badly, the urgency had disappeared from City’s play.

Dzeko did create one last chance for himself in stoppage time but neither he, nor Yaya Toure with his even later free-kick could not prevent the Blues from bowing out.

Mancini was incensed by Dynamo’s time-wasting tactics. “Every time they dived and every time the referee saw it,” he groaned. “But that is what happens. That is it.”

Mancini’s complaints were met with a sharp rebuttal from Dynamo coach Yuri Semin. “It is part of football,” he shrugged. There were some quite serious clashes.”

If there is one piece of good news for City it means they will have a free week ahead of them before the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United in the middle of next month when their opponents are engaged in a Champions League quarter-final.

That does seem minor consolation in the wake of Balotelli’s madness, though. “It was going to be difficult with 11 players,” added Mancini. “With 10 players it was very hard.”

MAN CITY: Hart, Kolarov (Milner 88), Lescott, Kompany, Richards, Barry (Adam Johnson 71), Toure Yaya, De Jong, Balotelli, Tevez, Silva (Dzeko 76).

DYNAMO KIEV: Shovkovskiy, Danilo Silva, Leandro Almeida, Yussuf, Popov, Gusev, Eremenko, Vukojevic, Yarmolenko (Betao 90), Ninkovic (Zozulya 45), Shevchenko (Garmash 62).

Referee: Cuneyt Cakir (Turkey).