AS Roma vs. Manchester City: Score, Grades and Reaction from 2015 ICC

Raheem Sterling scored on his debut as Manchester City beat Roma on penalties at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Tuesday in the 2015 International Champions Cup, following a 2-2 draw in normal time.

Sterling was included in the starting lineup by City boss Manuel Pellegrini and was on the scoresheet three minutes in. He swept home the opener, having been found beyond the Roma defence.

A Miralem Pjanic thunderbolt levelled things up five minutes later, before teenager Kelechi Iheanacho put City ahead again just after the break.

Adem Ljajic made it 2-2 with only minutes to go, which meant penalties were required to split the two sides.

Joe Hart saved the fifth Roma penalty to take the shootout to sudden death, and the England man then saved again to hand City a 5-4 win on penalties and the two points, with Roma still claiming one. 

The Manchester outfit confirmed the result:

Sterling found himself under scrutiny early on in Melbourne, where he was booed and mocked by the crowd as he slipped on his first touch for his new club, per Unibet:

However, the recent £49 million signing from Liverpool responded in the best possible way barely a minute later.

He received the ball on the left in space from a flighted Iheanacho clip forward, steadied himself with a good first touch and slotted home from just inside the penalty area.

For a forward who is often maligned for his lack of clinical finishing, it was a good omen for Sterling and topped off a fine move from the Premier League side.

City continued to dominate possession before Pjanic produced an equaliser from nowhere. In Roma's first foray forward, the Bosnian picked it up 30 yards from goal before firing from the right into the top of the net, per Telegraph Football:

It was some finish, and Willy Caballero had no chance of making a save. 

City kept up their tempo despite being pegged back and looked impressive in possession. Sterling should have earned a penalty 21 minutes in, when he was hauled down after tricking his way past Alessandro Florenzi, per Alex Richards of the Mirror:  

However, no spot-kick was forthcoming from the referee, and the two teams went in level at half-time.

Pellegrini made nine changes at the break, retaining only Iheanacho and Vincent Kompany from the starting XI. Sterling and the excellent David Silva were hooked, among others.

Ashley Cole was brought on for Roma at half-time, and he was culpable as City took the lead again five minutes into the second period.

The former Chelsea man attempted to clear the ball loftily back to his goalkeeper, but it instead fell to an onrushing Iheanacho, who sent a cool finish home with his left foot.

The 18-year-old Nigerian deserved his goal as he put in a terrific performance throughout. His combinations with Sterling and Silva were particularly encouraging for Pellegrini. 

Roma looked slightly stunned to go behind again, but they played their way back into the game as the close drew near.

City had to scramble in defence at times, but they looked set to preserve their lead to the final whistle.

However, Yaya Toure conceded a free-kick right on the edge of the box, and Ljajic curled a side-footed shot over the wall and passed a flying Hart to level things with three minutes to go.

Hart's heroics after the final whistle saw him not only save two penalties but also score one to give City the win.

The Sky Blues face Real Madrid next up on Friday, again at the MCG, and they will be looking to build on an encouraging display against the Italians.

Grades

Raheem Sterling: B -

He had a humiliating start as he fell over the ball with his first touch, but he showed his excellence with a fine finish just moments later.

His positioning was good throughout, and he should have been awarded a penalty in the first half as Roma's defenders often struggled to keep tabs on him.

Kelechi Iheanacho: A

He was excellent leading the line and showed maturity beyond his years in providing a cool assist for Sterling's opener and finishing well for the second.

He showed great anticipation to take advantage of Cole's mistake, and he could be a major part of City's plans going forward if he can continue to perform at such a level. 

Reaction

Pellegrini expressed his satisfaction with his side's performance after the match, making particular note of the style in which they played, per the club's website. 

"It was a good game for both teams," Pellegrini said. "You are not playing to win the game, you are not making the substitutions of players who are playing bad or well, you are trying to give an average amount of minutes to all the players. Overall, I am very happy in the style we played with."