MAN CITY 0 MIDDLESBROUGH 2

who’d been with Karanka and Mourinho at the Bernabeu.

He’s been very much second choice at the Riverside but there was nothing second- rate about his performance on the big stage. Like Bamford, he was a Boro hero.

Mind you, there was not a player in red who did not fall into that category.

Karanka would have told his players to stay in the contest in the early stages but, in the end, their tactics were far less modest.

They thought they’d made the breakthrough midway through the first half when Lee Tomlin nodded the ball into City’s net but Bamford had been ruled offside earlier in the move.

Then City began to find range and direction with their shooting and Meijas, who played just a single game for Real and only six for Boro, stepped up to the mark. His first save was from Aleks Kolarov, his second from Stevan Jovetic. Both were good but there was better to come.

Dedryck Boyata lashed a decent chance wildly over the bar before Meijas did well to push James Milner’s low drive round a post.

He made an even more impressive save from Silva in the 36th minute and another just as good from Jovetic a few minutes later.

Kolarov, who had an appeal for handball against Daniel Ayala just before the break turned down by Phil Dowd, saw a 30- yard shot deflected wide just after half-time.

Then, in the 53rd minute, City conspired to present Bamford with his opportunity.

You could hardly count the