Manchester City teenager Divine Mukasa had an eventful game for the Under-19s in their UEFA Youth League defeat to Villarreal
Divine Mukasa
Divine Mukasa
View Image
Divine Mukasa missed from the penalty spot for Manchester City Under-19s before nearly instigating a comeback in the UEFA Youth League.
Mukasa has been part of Pep Guardiola's first team squad for the last few Champions League games, having trained with the first team almost every day this season amid injuries to senior stars. However, the returns of Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush and Rayan Ait-Nouri have given Guardiola more options to take on Villarreal on Tuesday night.
That meant Mukasa was back in the Under-19s as they looked to continue their perfect start in the UEFA Youth League. It wasn't a perfect start on the day as Mauro Roca Martinez raced away from City pressure to score the opening goal for the home team.
Some slick play between Mukasa and Reigan Heskey saw the latter fouled in the box though, and the 18-year-old stepped up to the spot only to send his effort wide of the left post. Minutes later, Jose Angel Gaitan Diaz doubled the lead for Villarreal after more poor defending.
City refused to be counted out though, and Mukasa got Ben Wilkinson's team on the scoresheet in the second half with a brilliant individual goal that saw him dance his way past a number of defenders before slotting into the far corner. He then sent a free-kick thundering off the woodwork in City's search for an equaliser, but the Blues were ultimately defeated.
Mukasa missed the penalty but showed plenty to excite City fans again in an action-packed performance.
City's defeat leaves them on six points after three games, with their next game coming at home to Dortmund in two weeks.
Here at the Manchester Evening News, we’re dedicated to bringing you the best Manchester City coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don’t miss out on the latest City news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clickinghere to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Clickhere to be sent all the day’s biggest stories.
And finally, if you’d rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Talking City podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, includingSpotify andApple Podcasts, and you can also watch along onYouTube.