Manchester City vs. Sevilla: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League Match

A strike from Kevin De Bruyne in second-half stoppage time gave Manchester City a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in UEFA Champions League Group D play at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

The pace of play was brisk throughout as both clubs generated their fair share of scoring chances. With some better finishing, there could have easily been three or four more goals on the scoreboard by the final whistle. It's an instance where the continued injury absence of Sergio Aguero was noticeable for City.

Juventus and Borussia Monchengladbach ended level in the other Group D match. That leaves the Bianconeri atop the table with seven points followed by City with six, Sevilla with three and the German side with one. Each club has three matches remaining in group play.

City manager Manuel Pellegrini warned his squad before the fixture not to overlook Sevilla despite the Spanish side's sluggish start in La Liga. The 62-year-old boss expected a much tougher test than nine points from eight matches would suggest, as relayed by Mark Booth of the club's official site.

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"Maybe they didn't start well but they beat Barcelona so it's not easy. I spoke with the players this morning, we are sure we will play against the real Sevilla tomorrow—it's different to the domestic league.

"I am sure we will see them qualified for the next Champions League at the end of the season. They are an important team."

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The comments proved prophetic as the sides exchanged chances inside the opening 20 minutes.

The Sevillistas' best opportunity during that stretch came courtesy of a Yevhen Konoplyanka free kick. His initial effort struck the near post, and the ensuing rebound produced a look for Grzegorz Krychowiak, but Joe Hart was up to the task in the City goal.

Kieran Canning of Agence France-Presse noted the visitors' early pressure:

A short time later, Sevilla broke the deadlock in the 30th minute. A sustained stretch of pressure in the attacking third eventually led to some free space in the box for Vitolo. He sent a hopeful cross through the area and Konoplyanka made no mistake with a clinical finish to grab the lead.

The tally didn't come as a surprise with the City defense struggling to gain possession deep in their own territory, as James Robson of the Manchester Evening News confirmed:

Giving up the goal immediately sparked a more urgent effort from the Sky Blues, and they were able to get back level six minutes later.

The play started with a tremendous individual display from Yaya Toure along the end line. He wiggled free from his defender and found Raheem Sterling, whose close-range attempt was right at Sergio Rico, but the 'keeper couldn't control the rebound. Wilfried Bony picked up the loose ball and his shot deflected off Adil Rami and into the net for an own goal.

Though it was a deserved goal after a nice build up, Stuart Brennan of the Manchester Evening News pointed out it ended with a lucky bounce:

Yahoo Sport UK provided the heat map for a pretty even first half, which saw a slight possession edge for Sevilla but more shot attempts for City:

Although the back-and-forth nature of the match continued after the break, both sides were a little more sound defensively. That led to more long-range efforts compared to the more dangerous opportunities witnessed throughout the first half.

It wasn't until the final moments of the match that a winner was finally found. As the match opened up, De Bruyne made a run into the box and managed to create enough space for a laser toward the far corner that Rico couldn't stop.

Squawka Football highlighted the Belgian international's great run of form:

Sevilla couldn't find a late equalizer, creating a frustrating end to an otherwise solid showing. Stats Zone passed along the final statistics from the City triumph:

Ultimately, there were too many stretches of indifferent play from City despite the win. They will gladly take the three points, but they only have a couple days to clean up those mistakes before the latest edition of the Manchester derby against rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Sevilla still deserve credit for bringing an aggressive, attacking mindset on the road rather than simply trying to grind out a point. More of that is needed in league play beginning Saturday against Getafe if they want to start climbing the Liga table following their sluggish start.

The sides will meet for a Champions League rematch on Nov. 3 at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in Seville as the reverse fixtures get underway in Group D.

Post-Match Reaction

Pellegrini discussed the hard-fought nature of the match and applauded his group for finding a way to earn all three points, as the club noted:

Manchester City also provided reaction from De Bruyne, who's already looking forward to the return match after netting the game-winning goal:

City are in favorable position in both the Premier League and the Champions League in the early going despite only flashing top form. That paints a positive outlook for the rest of the campaign, but the focus for now is getting some positive training sessions in before the high-profile clash with United.