When Manchester City played Sporting CP in the Champions League at the Estadio Jose Avalade, these are some of the moments you might have missed.
Manchester City lost badly against Sporting in the Champions League, suffering their first European loss since April 2022 as a result of a terrible second half.
Phil Foden gave City the lead early on, but Sporting equalized through Viktor Gyokeres on the break despite controlling the first half and squandering several opportunities.
Sporting startled City by taking the lead inside 20 seconds of the second half, and 22 seconds after the restart, they were awarded a penalty. Gyokeres added gloss to the scoreline by converting once more later. Erling Haaland added to City’s terrible night in Lisbon by slamming a penalty against the bar.
Haaland’s full-time activities
Despite having many shots and being in the perfect locations, Haaland’s shots aren’t going in. He had two or three outstanding attempts against Bournemouth but was unable to score, he recorded his second-highest predicted goals figure in a City shirt against Southampton but only managed to score one, and he appeared in the mood again at Sporting but missed several decent chances.
The penalty spot, which was incredibly fortuitous for City at a 3-1 down, was the greatest opportunity of the game. His attention appeared to be diverted by a delay, and Haaland’s spot kick struck the bar and sailed over. What is it about European penalties and Haaland?
Since his successful effort against Southampton, he has had 17 shots on goal, eight of which have been on goal. He’s not in form, but he’s hardly out of form either.
After every goal City gave up, Haaland was the first to slam the ball down on the center-spot, apparently incensed at yet another goal against them. He puffed out his cheeks when the penalty was awarded, and he appeared irritated when Bernardo Silva caught the ball before it was awarded, which ultimately relieved his teammate of strain.
That was the type of disconnect that had been occurring all night among the forwards. Overhit passes or too many flicks. Players in inappropriate places. failing to cross at the appropriate time.
Haaland was clearly upset with his performance and the state of affairs at full time. While other City players shook hands with the hosts and gave the supporters remorseful applause, Haaland was spotted going to the crowd for a quick round of applause before leaving the field with little post-match chitchat.
The players were simply on different pages, which summed up both his and City’s night.
Simpson-Pusey displays hints of his abilities.
With the exception of a UEFA Youth League loss against Mainz last season, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has hardly ever performed in front of an audience prior to May. After winning the FA Youth Cup in front of 20,000 spectators at the Etihad, he was called up to the first team squad for the USA preseason trip. There, he made his debut in front of 30,000 people against Celtic and in front of 46,000 people at the famous Yankee Stadium.
Now, he’s come on at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Carabao Cup and earned a full senior debut at the Estadio Jose Avalade – where the atmosphere before kick-off was so loud that viewers watching from Manchester could barely hear the commentary team over the singing.
However, Simpson-Pusey, 19, is unfazed by these events. Up against the prolific Viktor Gyokeres – reportedly a transfer target for Manchester United given his links to Ruben Amorim – Simpson-Pusey stood firm and stopped a dangerous break on one occasion by simply positioning himself correctly and holding up the striker. He made nearly every effort to stop Gyokeres from equalizing, but the striker was too powerful and deserved to score.
There were still some outstanding challenges, especially to halt another breakaway, even though he battled in the second half as City fell apart. His debut was far from flawless, and he naturally needed Manu Akanji’s assistance at times. However, compared to the guy who appeared unsure on the summer tour, the center-back is now playing with an incredible amount of confidence.
He will be stronger for this chastening experience and is far down the list of blame when the inquest begins.
A hint about Noel Gallagher’s Pep contract
Noel Gallagher was a surprise addition to TNT Sports’ commentary team, and opened up on his friendship with Pep Guardiola before the game. Gallagher will visit Guardiola after every game he attends and the Oasis star offered his own view of the manager’s expiring contract.
Gallagher said: “He’ll get carried out of the stadium [when he leaves]. I don’t know, he hasn’t said anything to me. But I personally think he’ll stay for another year.”
“It gives everyone a chance to breathe and reflect on what he did. If he can get another Champions League this year it would be great. If he never wins another game from this point on he’ll be our most decorated manager.
“The most important man at the club is Khaldoon. We all know he’s (Guardiola) going. He’s already said he’s not staying for another seven or eight years. So they must know. They have a plan set in place. Txiki’s going too, it feels like the end of an era is coming. I don’t know one single fan who’s down about it. Everybody is ready to finally give him what he deserves as a great send-off.
“I hope he doesn’t leave after the last game of the season when we can’t say goodbye. It will be great for the league. Everybody can take stock, start again, and a new era.”
