Bermuda 1 Manchester City Youth Academy 2

Super sub Carlos Logan scored eight minutes from time to give visiting Manchester City Youth Academy a hard-fought win over Bermuda at the National Sports Centre last night.

Ten minutes after Shaun Goater had equalised for the home team in clinical fashion, Logan picked his moment to shine, firing in from close range on a slight angle at the back post after the Bermuda defence had been exposed during a quick raid on goal.

That goal seemed to knock the wind out of the home team's sails, who, after equalising through Goater's touch of class, just couldn't find that killer instinct to keep City at bay in the closing minutes of the match.

In fact, City seemed to take their game to another level following Goater's strike, constantly keeping Bermuda on the defensive and substitute ‘keeper Troy Hall busy between the posts.

Paul Murphy opened the scoring for City after only four minutes with a low drive that beat local custodian Timmy Figuerido - who managed to get a glove to the ball - after Jamie Tandy left Bermuda defender Kofi Dill in his wake and supplied a delightful cross in the box.

Having delivered an early crushing blow, City carried on their assault on goal, and with a little bit of luck could have easily added to their tally.

With their opponents still startled, Bradley Wright-Phillips - son of former Arsenal poacher Ian Wright - placed Marc Laird's cornerkick just wide of the post.

But little did City know, the sleeping giant had awoken with Meshach Wade's well-intended lob going just wide of the near post after he had combined nicely with Goater in attack.

As expected, everything ran through Goater while Kyle Lightbourne struggled to get going in the match's initial stages.

Bermuda's other pro, David Bascome, watched the game from the bleachers while others mysteriously excluded from last night's line-up included Stanton Lewis, Dwayne (Streaker) Adams, Rohann Simons and Stephen Astwood.

In the 24th minute of play, Wade caused more anxiety in the City defence but Nedum Onuha demonstrated the brilliant form which has moved him to the brink of suiting up for the English club's Premiership team by calmly thwarting the threat.

Onuha also cleared the ball away from a lurking Goater on the half-hour while Bermuda skipper Kentoine Jennings headed a Damon Ming free-kick over the bar.

While City made several substitutions during the first-half, coach Kenny Thompson remained unmoved, soldiering on with his original starting eleven until early in the second-half.

But only minutes before the interval, Bermuda nearly found themselves two-goals down. After waltzing his way through the local defence, Ian Benett fired his own rebound over an empty net seconds after his first attempt was blocked by the onrushing Figuerido.

While City appeared content to sit on their slim lead, Bermuda pressed on and after Thompson inserted Carlos Smith, Clevon Hill and out-of-the-blue Brandon Minors into the match shortly after the restart of play, the momentum gradually began to shift in the local team's favour.

Quiet for most of the opening period, Bermuda forward Khano Smith finally made his presence felt, the Dandy Town poacher dribbled some 30 yards before letting rip with a left-footed shot which missed its intended target by a whisker.

During a period of sustained pressure, skipper Jennings rose above the City defence only to see his header soar over moments before he was involved in a midfield collision with City's hero, Logan.

Jennings managed to shake off the effects and soldier on with his team-mates who were now in desperate need of a goal.

In the 70th minute, Lightbourne nearly gave his team mates what they yearned for, curling in a left-footed free-kick which negotiated the City wall - but strayed just wide of the far post.

Then there was the ever-present Goat, who, unselfishly hooked the ball to his left in search of a waiting team-mate when he himself was standing in a scoring position. Unfortunately, though, no one was there to capitalise on his generous offering.

But there would be no denying the former City marksman in the 72nd minute of play. Just as a quick Bermuda raid looked to have broken down when Hill was dispossessed, the ball somehow rebounded off his body and into the free path of Goater who maintained tremendous composure while dribbling 15 yards and steering the ball between onrushing ‘keeper Laurence Matthewson and the near post.

The “competitive” match City director Dennis Tueart had earlier predicted was now on, with the stage set for a thrilling climax to this contest - Bermuda's final before heading off to San Salvador for next week's crucial World Cup second-round qualifying match against the Central American giants.

But while local fans continued to celebrate Goater's magical strike, quietly, City regrouped and were unlucky not to have retaken the lead when Logan had a goal disallowed in the 80th minute.

Hall was called upon late in the match to make a few vital saves as Bermuda clung desperately on to the ropes in hopes of salvaging what would have been a deserved draw. But not even Hall's late heroics could prevent Logan from snatching last gasp glory.

Bermuda: T.Figuerido, K.Dill, S.Burgess, K.Jennings (capt), L.Alexander, M.Wade, D.Ming, K.Lightbourne, S.Goater, R.Bean Jr, K.Smith, B.Minors, O.Steede, T.Manders, C.Smith, T.Hall.

City: L.Matthewson, D.Warrender, P.Collins, N.D'Laryea (capt), N.Onuha, I.Bennett, M.Laird, J.D'Laryea, K.Bermingham, B.Wright-Phillips, J.Landy, P.Murphy, A.Grimes, I.Miller, C.Logan, M.Ward.

Men of the match: S. Goater, K.Jennings (Bermuda); P.Murphy, N.Onuha (City).

Referee: Anthony Mouchette.