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Manchester City bow out

Manchester - Manchester City bowed out of the Champions League on Wednesday despite goals from David Silva and Yaya Toure giving it a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the teams' final Group A match.

With City needing victory over the already qualified German side to have any chance of progressing to the last 16, Silva put the Premier League leader ahead in the 37th minute with a low shot from the edge of the area.

Toure doubled the advantage seven minutes after halftime.

But Napoli's 2-0 win at Villarreal put the Italians through at City's expense, leaving the English club's Italian manager Roberto Mancini to rue a missed opportunity.

"I think the players deserve to play in the Champions League but that's it, we can do nothing in this moment and our lives continue," Mancini said. "Usually with 10 points 99 per cent of teams go through but in this group it was not enough."

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes was meanwhile looking ahead to the draw on December 16.

"We were in a very difficult group and we've won it, which means we'll play away first," Heynckes said. "With the team and squad I've got, we can beat anyone."

In the build-up to the game, Mancini had hinted that his team would be a little more cautious than it has been in previous weeks and the hosts were certainly made to wait for their opportunities.

Sergio Aguero sent a header wide from close range from Samir Nasri's cross from the right after five minutes. But otherwise City struggled to convert their greater possession into real chances.

Heynckes made seven changes to the team that beat Werder Bremen 4-1 at the weekend but his team looked dangerous on the counter attack.

Ivica Olic had a thumping effort turned away by City goalkeeper Joe Hart and David Alaba also missed from a narrow angle after a quick break.

City had an effort disallowed when Silva's free kick found the top corner but French official Stephane Lannoy ruled that Joleon Lescott had fouled Bayern goalkeeper Jorg Butt.

But City made its breakthrough in the 37th minute when Gareth Barry passed in-field from the right and Edin Dzeko flicked into Silva, who curled a shot past Butt.

Before the interval they went close to doubling their lead when Aguero surged through and had an effort cleared off the line by former City defender Jerome Boateng.

Silva was denied by Butt and Aguero also hit a curling shot just wide from a narrow angle.

Danijel Pranjic threatened for the visitors just after the restart but City scored a second six minutes after half-time.

Toure collected a pass from Barry and found Aguero and the Argentina forward's first-time pass was guided on by Dzeko for Toure to stab a low shot past Butt.

Alaba had a powerful effort turned away by Hart as the Germans pushed forward looking for a response.

Nasri and Aguero were each unlucky not to add a third as City pressed for a third goal despite the knowledge that with Napoli winning 2-0 in Spain, their efforts were most likely in vain and would only result in a place in the Europa League.

Looking ahead, Mancini was already aware of the inconvenience of Europe's second-tier club competition.

"The Europa League is harder because we play on Thursday and won't have a lot of time to recover for the games," he said. "But this will be the only difference."

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