Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, City needed to win by a two goal margin to progress to the semi final but despite winning 2-1 on the night, City lost 4-3 on aggregate. It was tough luck on City, who had attacked the German outfit from the start only to fall behind to a twelfth minute strike from Paolo Guerrero, who calmly slotted the ball past Shay Given to put Hamburg 4-2 up on aggregate.
As in the first leg, the away side’s lead didn't last long as within five minutes the home side were level. Brazilian playmaker Elano’s cross was harshly adjudged to have been handled in the penalty area by Piotr Trochowski. As the crowd held its breath, Elano stepped up and beat goalkeeper Frank Rost from the spot to breathe new hope into the home fans dreams.
City Pressure Began to Tell
City began to press forward but the defensive frailties which have dogged them all season began to show with Trochowski handed two chances to regain the lead for his team. On the stroke of half time, City won a free kick as Robinho was fouled thirty yards from goal. Elano took a slow run up and his brilliant free kick crashed against the crossbar before rebounding to safety. As it had been a week earlier in Germany, the half time score was 1-1.
Neither team made any changes at the break and the second half began where the first had ended with City pressing. They got their reward five minutes after the restart. Felipe Caicedo collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area before beating his marker and firing past Rost to give City the lead. Elano hit the post with another free kick and Caicedo had the ball in the back of the German net again ten minutes later but, not for the first time, was adjudged to have been offside. City’s job was made harder as Richard Dunne was sent off for a second bookable offence but, despite their hard work, it was Hamburg who went through to face Werder Bremen in an all German semi final.
More Quarter Final Agony
It was another bitter disappointment for City, who have not reached the semi final of a cup competition since their FA Cup run in 1981. In 1993 they reached the quarter finals of the FA cup before being beaten 4-2 by Tottenham Hotspur. Two years later, they were beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace in the League Cup quarter final and Ipswich Town knocked them out of the League Cup at the last eight stage six years later. In 2006 they reached the last eight of the FA Cup before losing 2-1 at home to eventual finalists West Ham. A year later at the same stage, they travelled to Blackburn and failed to get on the score sheet as Blackburn ran out comfortable 2-0 winners, whilst the following year Tottenham won 2-0 at Eastlands in the League Cup.
After four quarter finals in four successive years, the semi finals continue to elude City. But their good run in the UEFA cup, which started back in July 2008 with a qualifying tie in the Faroe Islands, shows that the club is heading in the right direction. If City can reproduce the form they showed against Hamburg on a regular basis, it won’t be long until the club have a permanent European fixture.
