MELBOURNE: Record signing Raheem Sterling made an instant impression on his Manchester City debut, scoring in the third minute of the Premier League club’s 5-4 penalty shootout win over AS Roma after a 2-2 draw in the International Champions Cup on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old was jeered at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when he tripped over the ball on one of his first touches in the area, but a minute later soaked up the acclaim after slotting home a through ball from Nigerian teenager Kelechi Iheanacho.

Though all eyes were on Sterling, the most expensive English player in history after joining from Liverpool for a reported 49 million pounds ($76 million), it was goalkeeper Joe Hart who secured victory with two saves in the shootout.

“For a striker it’s always important to score, especially very early in the game,” City manager Manuel Pellegrini said. “He just played 45 minutes and he’s only worked with our team for just a few days, so I’m very happy with the way he played and he demonstrated why he’s here.”

Sterling showed his explosive pace to swoop on a lofted defence-splitting pass from Iheanacho to leave Roma goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis flailing and slot the ball into the empty net.

The Italians equalised just five minutes after Sterling’s strike in spectacular fashion. Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic let fly with a 20-metre thunderbolt into the top right corner at the end of a deft combination involving Daniele De Rossi, Francesco Totti and Gervinho.

Sterling was desperately unlucky not to create a second goal before being substituted at half-time, garnering no sympathy from Australian referee Jarred Gillett despite a forceful challenge from Alessandro Florenzi that took out the Englishman’s legs.

Iheanacho restored the lead for City six minutes into the second-half when he swooped on a wayward Roma back pass by second-half substitute Ashley Cole and sent the ball into the top right of the net from the centre of the box.

But Serbian Adem Ljajic threw the Italians a lifeline when he curled in a sumptuous free kick three minutes from full-time after being brought down just outside the box.

Hart then proved Man City’s hero, with saves off Seydou Doumbia and Seydou Keita to get the English club home.

“We made an individual mistake in the second half and we had to make up for it, but what I appreciated the most was that we were able to come back from behind twice, which means that we are mentally strong,” said Roma manager Rudi Garcia.

The match was the second of three International Champions Cup friendlies at the MCG. Roma beat Real Madrid 7-6 on penalties after the opening game finished scoreless on Saturday.

City will attempt to go on and win the three-way tournament when they take on ten-time European champions Real Madrid in the final game on Friday.

Published in Dawn, July 22th, 2015

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