It was certainly due. For Samir Nasri, for Manchester City. Nasri hadn�t scored all season; they had looked a shadow of a team who should be making light work of the Champions League group stage by now.
And then, on the hour, in the Stadio Olimpico, a plan came together. For Nasri, a goal at last. For City, a performance that lived up to the hype. They were men down here, and good men, too � Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Vincent Kompany, David Silva until midway through the second half.
Yet they came through. They won. CSKA Moscow lost, and a place in Monday�s last-16 draw was the prize. By God, they made hard work of it � but this, coupled with the magnificent finale against Bayern Munich, has changed the narrative around City in this tournament.
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