Sterling scores quick debut goal as Man City win Champions Cup

Record signing Raheem Sterling took just over two minutes to score his debut goal as Manchester City downed AS Roma on penalties in the International Champions Cup in Melbourne on yesterday

Melbourne: Record signing Raheem Sterling took just over two minutes to score his debut goal as Manchester City downed AS Roma on penalties in the International Champions Cup in Melbourne on yesterday.


Manchester City's Raheem Sterling in Melbourne yesterday. Pic/AFP 

England goalkeeper Joe Hart made two late saves as Manchester City won 5-4 in the penalty shootout after the game finished 2-2 at the end of regulation time at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Sterling, the most expensive English footballer in history, took just two minutes and 17 seconds to open his account for the big-spending English club.

Explosive pace
He showed his explosive pace to swoop on a defence-splitting pass from Kelechi Iheanacho to leave Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis flailing and slot the ball into the empty net.

"It's important to score, particularly early in the game, and he only played 45 minutes after having just a few days working with the team," manager Manuel Pellegrini said of Sterling's performance.

"He demonstrated why he's here, not only his value as a player, he's a very young player so I think he will improve a lot in the future, playing with Yaya Toure, David Silva and the others.

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