Men, Shoot at My Goal!

In the final round of the Europa League group stage, Man City traveled to face Juventus.

From the moment Man City announced the eighteen-man squad traveling for the away match, the whole world knew that they had already given up on the game. In fact, they had fielded an entirely second-string lineup in the previous round.

This was even more obvious against Juventus. Guardiola had even included Sterling, the young Englishman who had just turned sixteen on December 8, in the squad. It was the English prodigy's first time making Man City's matchday squad.

Not one of the eleven starting positions was occupied by a regular starter. That alone said enough.

Even the television commentators joked that if Lech Poznań saw Man City field such a lineup, they might lodge a complaint with UEFA, accusing Man City of deliberately throwing the game to help Juventus advance.

But things had already reached this point. Man City had done everything they could. Juventus, however, performed terribly at home and did not score until the forty-third minute.

Scoring late would have been understandable. Failing to score again afterward could also have been excused. But in the seventy-seventh minute, Juventus's defender actually gifted the ball away, passing it straight to Adam Johnson.

That was all it took. The English winger carried the ball to the byline and crossed, while the Portuguese midfielder Moutinho decisively made a late run into the box and finished from close range, leveling the score for Man City.

Things suddenly became interesting!

With roughly fifteen minutes left, Juventus still had a chance if they launched an immediate all-out attack. The problem was that the Bianconeri showed an almost indifferent attitude, as though they did not care whether they advanced.

Since they were acting so aloof, Man City certainly had no