Man City vs Shakhtar result: Ilkay Gundogan helps clinch top spot despite dour Champions League draw

Man City 1-1 Shakhtar Donetsk: The visitors’ qualification hopes remain in the balance while City are home and hosed

Ilkay Gundogan his goal celebrates with Kevin De Bruyne (Getty)

Manchester City only ever required a point to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages and that is exactly what they took from an uninspiring performance on a low-key evening at the Etihad. For the sixth time in the last three seasons, Pep Guardiola’s side met Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stages. Same time next year? Let’s hope not.

Ilkay Gundogan brought a dour game to life just before the hour mark, finding the goal that City’s tepid dominance of the game just about deserved, but their lead would not last. Shakhtar showed City’s usual verve and energy by equalising with a fine counter-attack, finished off by substitute Manor Solomon, but it did not inspire the hosts on to do similar and win.

Guardiola will not be overly concerned. Atalanta’s victory over Dinamo Zagreb in Group C’s other game meant a draw was enough for City to qualify as group winners. A place in the round of 16 against one of eight runners-up awaits, with a favourable draw likely, but no City players stuck around to celebrate that fact come the final whistle.

One of the few moments of tension in a poor first half came when Ederson rushed out of goal, swung at a loose ball but found only thin air. His mistake gave Tete an open goal to aim at but angle was narrow. He still chose to shoot, much to the annoyance of team-mate Junior Moraes. Fernandinho blocked the attempt for a corner.

Ederson settled down and made amends a few minutes later, rushing out again to close down Tete on a one-on-one, but City still struggled to create clear-cut opportunities of their own. The closest they came to breaking the deadlock was one powerful Nicolas Otamendi header which goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov only just held.

Otherwise, much like in the meeting with Dinamo Zagreb in this group last month, City’s opponents presented a united front against all their possession play. Shakhtar lost on both their previous visits to the Etihad, conceding six last November, but it became clear towards the end of an uneventful first half that this would be no thrashing.

Eventually though, City would find their breakthrough. Things livened up in the second half, particularly when Kevin de Bruyne’s ball into Gabriel Jesus’ feet drew Pyatov off his goal-line. Two Shakhtar defenders were making life difficult for Jesus, so he turned and played the ball back to Gundogan, who stroked it into a gaping corner of the net. Jesus, deputising for the newly-injured Sergio Aguero, will be pleased with the assist.

Normal service appeared to have been resumed but Shakhtar are a capable side, 13 points clear at the top of Ukraine’s top flight, and they were by no means out of this contest yet. Guardiola would have been proud of their equalising goal, scored by unmarked Solomon, but made by an overlapping full-back in Dodo and a square pass into the centre of the penalty area.

City almost responded immediately. Jesus cut-back once more, this time for David Silva, and his goal-bound shot spread panic among Shakhtar’s defence. Serhiy Kryvtsov eventually cleared Silva’s effort as it threatened to trickle over the goal-line, but the visitors then quickly composed themselves and held out for a draw. Their qualification hopes remain in the balance while City are home and hosed, but Shakhtar were the ones celebrating come full time.