Shay Given blocked two penalties in the shootout to give Manchester City victory over Mexican club America after the teams played a 1-1 draw in a friendly on Wednesday. Emmanuel Adebayor scored for Manchester City with a penalty in the first half, while Enrique Esqueda equalized for America in the second.
In the shootout, Adebayor, Jo, Vladimir Weiss and Patrick Vieira made Manchester City a perfect 4 for 4. Pavel Pardo had America's only successful spotkick.
Midfielder Yaya Toure made his Manchester City debut after joining the club from Barcelona, linking up with his brother, Kolo Toure. The brothers played for Ivory Coast in the World Cup. Manchester City also was bolstered by the first appearances for Gareth Barry and Shaun Wright-Phillips since England was eliminated from the World Cup.
"The team got a lot out of the game in terms of fitness and working together," said Manchester City's Adam Johnson. America defender Aquivaldo Mosquera brought down Johnson in the box to set up Adebayor's penalty in the 36th minute. Johnson insisted the penalty, which appeared marginal, "was 100 percent a foul." America made it 1-1 early in the second half when Esqueda scored after a corner from the right.
Daniel Montenegro of America hit the woodwork in each half, while Adebayor hit the crossbar in the 88th minute. The game attracted 33,721 fans _ down from the more than 50,000 who watched America beat Milan in Atlanta last year. The city is pushing to be a host city if the US is awarded the 2018 or 2022 World Cups.
{{/usCountry}}Daniel Montenegro of America hit the woodwork in each half, while Adebayor hit the crossbar in the 88th minute. The game attracted 33,721 fans _ down from the more than 50,000 who watched America beat Milan in Atlanta last year. The city is pushing to be a host city if the US is awarded the 2018 or 2022 World Cups.
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