SERGIO AGUERO scored one goal and helped create another as Manchester City powered to a 3-1 first-leg win over Dynamo Kiev in the last 16 of the Champions League.

    After failing to make it out of the group stage in the first two attempts of City’s moneyed quest to conquer Europe, it was eliminated by Barcelona in the round of 16 in the last two years. But on Wednesday, the Sky Blues finally positioned themselves to reach the quarterfinals for the first time in club history.

    Aguero and David Silva’s goals gave City a 2-0 cushion at the break before Vitaliy Buyalskiy pulled one back for Dynamo and Yaya Toure secured a valuable third away goal for City.

    “It is not finished but playing away and having a two-goal lead is very good,” City coach Manuel Pellegrini said. “Maybe when it was 2-1 we had moments of doubt, but then we got the third goal.”

    Facing a Ukrainian team that had not played competitively since December, Aguero took full advantage of poor Dynamo defending at a corner to score his 15th-minute opener with a simple finish after being left unmarked.

    Aguero has now scored eight goals in City’s last nine games and 16 in his last 17 Champions League starts. The Argentine also helped to set up City’s second, feeding Raheem Sterling with a backheel on the edge of the box. Sterling then crossed low for Silva to score at the far post just before halftime.

    Dynamo shook off some of the rust in the second half and struck back in the 59th minute through Buyalskiy, whose shot from 18 meters deflected in off Nicolas Otamendi. That marked the 10th Champions League game in a row in which City has conceded at least one goal.

    City had chances to leave Kiev with even more away goals ahead of the second leg March 15, with one of the best opportunities coming when Toure headed narrowly wide from close range in the 82nd minute.

    In Wednesday’s other game, 10-man PSV Eindhoven held on for a 0-0 draw with Atletico Madrid. (SD-Agencies)