By SHAUN CUSTIS
CITY complained they were robbed of victory.
But frankly the biggest crime is that they are heading out of the Champions League at the group stage for the second season running.
Even wins in City’s final two matches, at home to Real Madrid and away to Borussia Dortmund, would not guarantee their qualification for the knockout phase.
And manager Roberto Mancini insisted afterwards that their challenge was over.
City had some justifiable grievances about a late disallowed goal from Sergio Aguero and a shirt pull in the penalty area on Mario Balotelli. But they have been the architects of their own downfall in this Group of Death.
City were 2-1 up at Real Madrid with five minutes to go in their first match and lost. Then they only got a point at home to Dortmund with a last-minute penalty and were comprehensively thumped 3-1 by Ajax in Amsterdam a fortnight ago.
Last night they shot themselves in the foot with more sloppy defending which saw them two down inside 17 minutes before a stirring comeback.
But the fact is Ajax, a team which cost £4million to put together, have scored five in their two games against City and taken four points from the six available.
Of the three opponents in Group D, City would have at least expected to knock over the Dutchmen. Mancini has been arguing City could not win this competition almost since the draw was made.
There has been a defeatist attitude which must feed its way through the squad.
They have never looked like they believe in themselves in this competition and it was embarrassing the way they let in the early goals.
For the opener on 10 minutes the defence went to sleep after centre-back Matija Nastasic needlessly gave away a corner.
The ball into the box was helped towards goal by Niklas Moisander and Siem de Jong slid it home from a narrow angle by the post as Joe Hart sprawled helplessly on the ground.
City’s defence had to ask themselves why they had all stood around while De Jong reacted and it was not Hart’s finest moment either.
If anything the second goal after 17 minutes was even worse as De Jong was on target once more from another corner.
Christian Eriksen curled the ball towards the near-post and Yaya Toure made no effort to go with De Jong, who had total freedom to head in. Honestly, if your team conceded that goal on a Sunday morning you would have been fuming, however many of the side still had hangovers from the night before.
Toure redeemed himself five minutes later to get City back into the game.
Samir Nasri’s cross was inadvertently headed on by a defender, and Toure controlled on his chest before swivelling and rattling in a volley from close range.
City tails were up and Pablo Zabaleta got free but his header lacked power and keeper Kenneth Vermeer was able to get his right hand to it. Balotelli spent almost the whole of the half-time interval warming up and, after a few words from Mancini, he replaced holding midfielder Javi Garcia with City needing to score twice more.
The home fans were cheering an equaliser prematurely when Aguero put the ball in the net but he was rightly flagged offside.
Toure then burst into the box only for his cut-back to be put behind for a corner as City swarmed all over the opposition.
You could not see Ajax keeping them out for much longer, it was one-way traffic.
But suddenly the Dutch broke and the dangerous De Jong unleashed a fierce drive which Hart did well to save to his left.
City responded and Aguero clipped the ball round the keeper but, at the vital moment, he slipped over.
De Jong was still a real thorn in City’s side and, from a free-kick 25 yards out, he was denied by the flying Hart.
But City drew level in the 74th minute with a good old fashioned route-one special.
Balotelli flicked on a long ball and Aguero despatched his shot low into the bottom corner. It was not enough though, City needed to push on for the win.
Aguero forced the ball in late on only to have the goal disallowed for offside against sub Aleksandar Kolarov, who provided the cross.
Kolarov looked level with the last man and City’s frustration was compounded when Balotelli’s shirt was clearly pulled by Ricardo van Rhijn and no penalty was given.
The ref immediately blew the final whistle as City’s players and Mancini blew a fuse.
The lights had gone out on City’s European dream.
