Manuel Pellegrini has suggested that ending Manchester City's Champions League hoodoo will only help the club to grow in stature in the long term.
A bland 0-0 second-leg draw at home to Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday was enough for the Citizens to earn their place in the hat for the quarter-finals of the showpiece competition.
Manager Pellegrini, who will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season regardless of his achievements, now hopes to see City build on the success of reaching the last eight for the first time in their history.
"It was a tactical game, we didn't take any risks just to qualify and waited to see if they gave any space," BBC Sport quotes the Chilean as saying. "They played a quiet game. It was important for us to keep the ball and not let them create chances.
"They knew before the game they had to score three goals. It is a very important achievement for the club. Before we could not do it, we were very unlucky. This is a club that is growing and continue to develop as a big club. We are going to see which is the best way to play.
"We normally are a team who always score so we get criticism about not keeping clean sheets. We have kept three clean sheets for three games in-a-row now. We will see the next game. In this knockout round, you should know how to play tactical games and we will see how far we can go."
Man City turn their attention back to Premier League action next weekend when playing host to rivals Manchester United.
Daniel Lewis
