The day Manchester City defied fate and changed football forever

There are moments in football that transcend the pitch and enter straight into the realm of eternity. Manchester City versus Queens Park Rangers, 13th May 2012. The final day of the Premier League. The Etihad Stadium, packed to the rafters, was about to witness the most unlikely and thrilling finish to a league campaign in the history of English football. A game that began with hope, dipped into agony, and ended with a roar that would echo forever: “Agüeroooo!”

To understand the context, we need to go back a bit. Manchester City, traditionally, had been seen as a sleeping giant in English football, living in the shadow of their arch-rivals Manchester United. Years of frustration, failures, and near irrelevance had shaped the club’s identity. But everything changed in 2008 when the club was bought by Sheikh Mansour, and a new chapter began to be written. Millions were invested, and City started assembling a star-studded squad. At the helm was Roberto Mancini, and on the pitch were stars like Yaya Touré, David Silva, and the young Argentine Sergio Agüero. The 2011-2012 season would be the ultimate test to see if the new era at City was ready to achieve glory.

The final day brought a scenario of dreams and nightmares. City went into the game level on points with Manchester United but ahead on goal difference. All they needed was to beat a modest Queens Park Rangers side who were fighting against relegation. A theoretically easy challenge, but football has its own rules, dictated by nerves, pressure, and the unpredictable. Meanwhile, United were up against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. It was a day of destiny for both sides of Manchester. City were chasing their first league title in 44 years, while United, led by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson, were waiting to snatch the crown once more.

The game began as expected. City were in control, and the Etihad was buzzing with anticipation. The first step towards glory came in the 39th minute, with Pablo Zabaleta opening the scoring after a shot that deflected off the QPR keeper. The stadium erupted. Everything seemed to be heading for a happy ending. However, football, with its cruel nature, had other plans. QPR, in a rare attack, equalised through Djibril Cissé, capitalising on a mistake by Joleon Lescott. And then, the nerves started to set in.

At 66 minutes, the unthinkable happened. On a quick counter-attack, Jamie Mackie headed QPR into the lead. 2-1. Silence and disbelief at the Etihad. Manchester United, winning their game, were now just minutes away from another title. City’s dream was on the brink of collapse. The players could feel the weight of 44 years of frustration on their shoulders. The pressure of decades of unmet expectations was turning into panic.

The clock ticked on. 85 minutes, 88 minutes, 90 minutes. City fans were in despair. Some turned their backs to the pitch, unable to watch. And then, like a flicker of hope, came the equaliser. Edin Džeko rose above everyone following a corner and headed in to make it 2-2 in the 91st minute. A lifeline. A glimmer of hope.

But they still needed one more goal. City needed a miracle. The clock read 93 minutes and 20 seconds. Mario Balotelli, a name always linked with unpredictability, pulled off an improbable move, falling and still managing to deliver a perfect pass to Sergio Agüero. The Argentine, with the coolness of a genius and the precision of a surgeon, skipped past the QPR defender and struck low and hard. The ball hit the back of the net.

What followed was one of the most iconic moments in football history. Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler lost his composure and immortalised the moment with a shout that still reverberates: “Agüerooooo! I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again. So watch it, drink it in!” The stadium turned into a sea of euphoria, tears, and embraces. Moments earlier, the fans were devastated; now, they were experiencing the peak of joy. In the stands, it was impossible to distinguish between tears of pain and happiness.

That goal wasn’t just a goal. It was a rebirth. It was the resurrection of a club that had lived in the shadows for so long, who had tasted the bitterness of being Manchester’s “other” team. It was the final blow that announced to the world that City had arrived, and they were here to stay. Meanwhile, at the Stadium of Light, Manchester United awaited a different kind of news. But when they heard Tyler’s shout, they knew the title had slipped from their grasp.

Agüero’s goal in 2012 was more than just a victory; it was the redefining of an era. It was the moment when Manchester City found their voice when a club refused to be anyone’s second fiddle, and when football proved, once again, that its scripts are written by the gods. “Agüeroooo!” was more than a shout; it was a roar that woke a city and changed Manchester City’s destiny forever.