When Kevin De Bruyne suffered a groin injury at the beginning of the season, it was a sign of trouble ahead for Manchester City, as both the club and supporters knew they would be without their finest creator for a long period. When Rodri suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and a damaged meniscus just a few weeks after the Belgian, the sense of dread was greatly heightened. All hell was about to break loose because Pep Guardiola had lost his two layers of creativity.
Additionally, it broke at the most inconvenient time. After Rodri’s season-ending injury, the Cityzens did manage a few hard-fought victories, but they haven’t been able to respond in a timely manner. For Manchester City players and supporters, three straight defeats is not a familiar streak, particularly when it comes to opponents they were once “owners” of.
It was OK to lose to Spurs in the Carabao Cup, and losing to Bournemouth might be considered an isolated incident, but the City supporters felt that last night’s match against Portugal was somewhat unjust. Sporting Lisbon made sure they wouldn’t quickly forget the evening because they are obviously not used to being in such circumstances.
Although Ruben Amorim may be a few weeks away from playing City again from a different dugout, the Portuguese manager has made it obvious that he will be there; when he does, there may be a new order.
Even after falling behind in the fourth minute of their UEFA Champions League match, the Primera Liga champions held the Premier League champions to a 4-1 loss. It was a night of City sulking while Sporting landed sucker punches at nearly every opportunity, regardless of how you chose to interpret it. This is how it transpired.
Match highlights:
Foden’s opener and Gyokeres’ goal-line clearance
After a casual passing sequence, Phil Foden nicked the ball off a Sporting CP midfielder to open the score in the fourth minute. The City man put the Cityzens ahead 1-1 by driving forward and then clinically putting his finish home.
Following some fierce possession-based pressure from City, Foden came very close to turning provider in the 27th minute. Erling Haaland was able to hook home at the back post with his inch-perfect corner kick, but Victor Gyokeres was there to cut the ball away with a decisive clearing.
Gyokeres’ leveler
After Geovany Quenda picked his run with a superb through pass, the Swedish striker put his team back on equal terms. After skillfully timing the run and holding off Jahmai Simpson-Pussey, Gyokeres looped his finish over Stefan Ortega to even the score.
The second opening drama:
In just three minutes, Sporting Lisbon put an end to the City camp’s aspirations in the second half. Maximilliano Araujo finished under Ortega in the 46th minute, and Josko Gvardiol tripped Quenda for a penalty kick in the 49th.
Gyokeres took it well, giving his team a two-goal lead for the 40 minutes and sending the goaltender the other way. Twenty minutes later, it was Haaland’s turn to give his team some optimism right away. This time, Ousmane Diomande was the target of the penalty for a handball, but the Norwegian ruined his opportunity by clattering the ball wildly into the crossbar.
Gyokeres wins for Sporting with a hat-trick.
After Haaland missed the penalty, City’s prospects became even more limited. Even the late arrival of Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan was insufficient to save a good scoring opportunity. Even though Sporting CP appeared to have locked up, they still had a goal in sight.
After Araujo lost the ball to the energetic wingback, Matheus Nunes supplied the excuse for another spot-kick by tripping him. Gyokeres scored his hat-trick and secured a resounding victory over City when he was on penalty duty once more.
Takeaways from the match
Even before it began, there were similarities between the league champions—Amorim versus Pep, Gyokeres versus Haaland. And City failed.
There are plenty of reasons for this, but Sporting’s more methodical approach to converting their opportunities when they presented themselves was unquestionably the most notable. They created five great chances, four of which were converted, and they outscored City’s two. Since its two main creators suffered long-term injuries, City’s opportunities have decreased, and their shots and conversions reflect this.
Amorim, on the other hand, has defeated Pep and City in his unofficial first test, but it won’t be the only one. His spartan deployment of wingers and wing backs complemented the counterattacking strategy that was crucial to defeating City on Tuesday. Amorim might be the ideal fit for Manchester United since the team needs new tactics and a new mindset.
Rumors circulated that Gyokeres would soon join Amorim at Old Trafford, and conjecture ensued on the potential quality he would contribute. The Swede repeatedly demonstrated his dependability by providing Haaland with everything that was needed of him at the other end of the pitch. His hat-trick was the game’s high point, which tells a lot about Gyokeres but little about Haaland’s quality (or deterioration).
Sporting’s victory boosted them up the UEFA Champions League table, but City’s performance was lackluster. Sporting can continue their winning ways with their second straight victory, but the Cityzens still have work to do to maintain their qualifying fight.
Up next…
Both teams are already halfway through the race to qualify. In addition to hosting another Premier League team, Arsenal, for their upcoming UCL match, Sporting Lisbon will travel to Braga on Sunday in the league.
However, before playing Feyenoord in the Champions League, Manchester City must overcome Brighton and Spurs in a tough test.
