Football quiz: Manchester City in Europe before the Champions League

1. Manchester City's first-ever European away game was in Istanbul, against Fenerbahce in the 1968-69 European Cup first round. City drew the first leg 0-0 at Maine Road; what was the end result?

   1. They lost 2-1 in Turkey to go out at the first hurdle

   2. The teams drew 0-0 again and City went out on the toss of a coin

   3. The game was abandoned with City getting the walkover

   4. City won 6-0, still a record European away victory for the team

2. Manchester City's first European final came in the 1969-70 Cup Winners' Cup. Their opponents, Gornik Zabrze of Poland, took what unusual route to the final?

   1. As losing Polish Cup finalists, they took the place of winners Legia Warsaw, who had withdrawn from European competition

   2. They did not win any match inside 90 minutes, progressing only in extra time

   3. They won a coin-toss against Roma in the semi-final after three consecutive draws

   4. All of the above

3. City won the final 2-1, with goals from Neil Young and Francis Lee securing the trophy in Vienna. An official crowd of just 7,968 were in Vienna – how many were travelling City fans?

   1. None

   2. 300

   3. 5,000

   4. 7,900

4. As defending champions, City reached the semi-finals of the following season's Cup Winners' Cup – but lost to which other English team?

   1. Liverpool

   2. Tottenham

   3. Chelsea

   4. Burnley

5. In the same season, Joe Mercer's side took part in the Anglo-Italian League Cup, a two-legged competition against which Serie A side?

   1. Milan

   2. Internazionale

   3. Napoli

   4. Bologna

6. Between 1972-73 and 1977-78, City went out of the Uefa Cup in the first round on three occasions. The first of these came against Valencia, managed by which legendary former player?

   1. Alfredo Di Stéfano

   2. Ferenc Puskas

   3. Giuseppe Meazza

   4. Mário Zagallo

7. In 1978-79, City reached the Uefa Cup quarter-finals before losing to Borussia Mönchengladbach. Who did they seek advice from in an effort to defeat the fearsome West German side?

   1. Kevin Keegan

   2. Berti Vogts

   3. Bob Paisley

   4. Bert Trautmann

8. It would be 24 years before Manchester City returned to European competition, with a Uefa Cup return booked via the Fair Play route. Which UK side did they face in the first competitive game at the City of Manchester Stadium?

   1. Celtic

   2. Connah's Quay Nomads

   3. Linfield

   4. Total Network Solutions

9. That season's European adventure ended in an embarrassing away-goals defeat in Poland – to which team?

   1. Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski

   2. Widzew Lodz

   3. Gornik Zabrze

   4. Lech Poznan

10. In 2008-09, why was City's Uefa Cup second leg tie against EB/Streymur moved to Barnsley's Oakwell ground?

    1. The Etihad pitch was being relaid after a Bon Jovi concert

    2. The Faroese side could not host their home leg due to a volcanic eruption

    3. City's undersoil heating failed and the fixture could not be put back

    4. It was a goodwill gesture, as Barnsley has the UK's largest Faroese community

11. Under Mark Hughes, City advanced to the five-team group stages in 2008-09. Their opponents were Twente, Schalke, Racing Santander and who?

    1. Real Madrid

    2. Bayern Munich

    3. Internazionale

    4. Paris Saint-Germain

12. The Blues progressed to the quarter-finals, their first in Europe since 1979, but were beaten on aggregate by which German giants?

    1. Bayern Munich

    2. Borussia Mönchengladbach

    3. Hamburg

13. The club's final European campaign before breaking into the Champions League came in 2010-11. What fan tradition can be traced back to the Europa League group stage game against Lech Poznan in that season?

    1. The home fans' chanting 'we're not really here'

    2. The use of 'Blue Moon' as official entrance music

    3. 'The Poznan', inspired by away fans turning their back to the game in unison

    4. The booing of official Uefa anthems before kick-off

14. Which controversial forward scored a hat-trick in that game, a 3-1 win that helped City top Group A?

    1. Emmanuel Adebayor

    2. Carlos Tevez

    3. Mario Balotelli

15. Despite a promising group campaign, the Europa League run was ended in the last 16 against Dynamo Kyiv. Mario Balotelli was substituted in the first-leg defeat in Ukraine – for what reason?

    1. He was showing symptoms of an apparent allergy to grass

    2. He put the ball in the net with his shoulder, enraging the opposing defenders

    3. He missed an open goal with a backheel, infuriating Roberto Mancini

    4. He somehow escaped with a booking for a dangerous tackle on Goran Popov

Solutions

1:A - Despite coach Malcolm Allison's prediction that City would 'terrify Europe', they crashed out despite taking the lead in Turkey, 2:C - In a dramatic second leg, Gornik scored a last-minute equaliser, took the lead and then conceded a late leveller in extra time. After a playoff finished 1-1, they went through on the flip of a coin, 3:C - Some estimates put the crowd at closer to 15,000 – but the vast majority of fans were in City's corner. Only 300 fans were able to travel from Poland to watch the game, where City took a 2-0 lead and held on in torrential rain, 4:C - The 1970 FA Cup winners prevailed 1-0 in both legs, and went on to beat Real Madrid in the final; it wouldn't be the last time English opposition foiled City in Europe., 5:D - As winners of the 1970 League Cup, City represented England against the Coppa Italia champions. The squad set up camp in Rimini, and took a relaxed attitude to the fixture – losing 1-0 in Italy and 3-2 on aggregate., 6:A - Di Stefano managed Valencia three times during a well-travelled managerial career. In 1972, his side got the better of City 4-3 on aggregate, despite Rodney Marsh scoring in each leg., 7:C - The Liverpool manager, who had seen off Gladbach in the 1977 European Cup final, was sounded out. It didn't help, as City lost 5-3 on aggregate., 8:D - Since that 5-0 win for City – coupled with a 2-0 win in the away leg – TNS have rebranded as The New Saints, and the ground has become the Etihad Stadium, 9:A - The Blues have played all four Polish sides in European ties – but it was the now-defunct Grodzisk who sent Kevin Keegan's side tumbling out., 10:A, 11:D - A low-key first meeting between the two future superpowers ended in a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium., 12:C - City came up narrowly short on a famous night at their new stadium, winning the second leg 2-1 but losing 4-3 on aggregate. , 13:C - City fans still enjoy 'doing the Poznan' to this day, 14:A - It was Adebayor, not that the away fans were watching., 15:A - Balotelli was taken off shortly after half-time due to facial swelling. He did all the other things while at City, though – including a foul on Popov that earned him a red card in the second leg

Scores

1. 14 and above.

   You're bringing the trophy home

2. 10 and above.

   Superb effort, but it's semi-final heartbreak

3. 0 and above.

   Unlucky. An early Intertoto Cup exit

4. 5 and above.

   Well played – a decent Uefa Cup run