Manchester City gave a gala performance against Sporting Portugal on Tuesday evening in the Champions League. The team of Josep Guardiola already threw the diptych in the billion-dollar ball into the lock before half-time. Thanks to two goals from Bernardo Silva and goals from Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling, City eventually won convincingly 0-5.
Manchester City, where Nathan Ake started from the bench, won the past Premier League matches with the necessary conviction and was also quickly on roses against Sporting. The Citizens proved efficient by immediately converting the first opportunity into a goal. Antonio Adán initially had an answer to a Phil Foden bet, but then fielded the ball straight into Kevin De Bruyne’s course. The Belgian midfielder put wide on Riyad Mahrez, who could easily tap in: 0-1.
Manchester City take the lead! † We are less than 10 minutes on the road when Mahrez already puts the ball in the net, 1-0 ??#ZiggoSport #UCL #SPOMCIA pic.twitter.com/4m1fVmrTMC
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) February 15, 2022
While referee Srdan Jovanovic initially seemed to throw a spanner in the works for City by canceling the goal due to offside, the VAR eventually reversed the Serbian referee’s decision to the joy of the visitors. Sporting combined dangerously several times up to City’s box, but were unable to actually test Ederson.
And there’s number two again?? Bernardo Silva scores the 2-0, and what a cannon blow is this ?? How many more will City score? †#ZiggoSport #UCL #SPOMCIA pic.twitter.com/xWX6rm18S7
— Ziggo Sport Football (@ZS_Voetbal) February 15, 2022
Silva gave the dream start of Guardiola’s team even more shape by nicely taking the ball on the shoe after more than fifteen minutes of play. The attacker’s shot hit the bottom of the crossbar like a cannonball, leaving the home side with an almost impossible task: 0-2. Sporting couldn’t get a grip on the opponent’s urge to attack and had to watch as Foden scored the third goal after being shot in the defense. City showed no mercy and also put the 0-4 on the scoreboard via Silva on the stroke of half-time.
The Portuguese attacker thought he would complete his hat-trick immediately after the break. As the shortest man on the field, Silva scored flawlessly. This time the VAR did put a line through a goal by the visitors, because the wing attacker was offside by half a meter. The 0-5 eventually became a fact, after Sterling came in and curled the ball into the intersection.