Abu Dhabi celebrates Man Citys' triumph

This easily could have been a script of a movie. Only that this was real and happening in real time.

Manchester City celebrate with the Barclays Premier League trophy at Etihad Stadium on Sunday after the epic win over Queens Park Rangers. — AP

Five minutes of stoppage time left and the title seemingly out of their grasp, it seemed almost over for Manchester City fans in Abu Dhabi.

But Edin Dzeko handed the Sky Blues a lifeline with the equaliser against relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers.Hope was back but, then again, it was a far shot.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak speaks with QPR’s Malaysian chairman Tony Fernandes at The Etihad stadium in Manchester. — AFP

ButArgentine Sergio Aguero thought otherwise to nail the winner and bring the English Premiership title to the Blue half of Manchester after 44 years.

Aguero’s goal not just sent the 47,435 crowd, predominently City fans inside the Etihad Stadium into delirium but also a massive force of fans thousands of miles away here in Abu Dhabi.

It was billed as the ‘Super Sunday’ with the Premiership title race down to the final two games of the season. Manchester United thought they had retained it after a 1-0 win against Sunderland but Dzeko and Aguero rewrote history after Pablo Zabaleta had put them ahead.

With a huge number of British expats in Abu Dhabi, hotels showing the games on huge screens were choco-o-bloc.with the Reds and the Sky Blues.

They were in their respective jerseys and scarfs and there was quite a bit ofbanter but everything was in the right spirit. It was not just the Britons who were glued to the telly.

With Manchester City owned by Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Abu Dhabi has a huge fan base for the Sky Blues.

And lot of Emiratis too were watching the action at cafes or at their homes, across the city.

The Redcontingent were a happy lot after an early Wayne Rooney goal but the Sky Blues were even louder after Zabaleta had put City ahead on 39 minutes. With United up 1-0 and City too up 1-0 at half-time, City were 45 minutes away from a dream title. But an error from Lescott gave Queens Park Rangers the equaliser three minutes after the restart through the brilliant Cisse and also the hope of avoiding relegation.

It all went quiet in the Blue half as the Reds celebrated. With Rangers captain Joey Barton sent off and them down to 10, City fans smelt a chance.

But some stoic defending by Rangers, who put all their men at the back and some heroic saves by goalkeeper Paddy Kenny kept the marauding City at bay.

But what was to come was unthinkable for City fans. Mackie’s header on 66 minutes put the Rangers ahead and suddenly, the silence was defeaning among the City fans in Abu Dhabi, so much sothat you could hear a pin drop. United fans were already celebrating.

With a water-tight Rangers defence not letting anything slip through as City racked up attempt after attempt and corner after corner, it seemed they had suddenly encountered a wall.

As time ticked away, there were nails being chewed, sad faces and tears rolling down cheeks. Only five minutes of stoppage time was left for City to salvage something.

james@khaleejtimes.com