Pep Guardiola suffered a third defeat in a week as Manchester City lost to Sporting (Image: AP)
Ruben Amorim, who has previously defeated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City once, will take over as manager of Manchester United on November 11.
After taking over at Manchester United, Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, reminded Ruben Amorim that he would not be able to defeat him again in the Champions League this season.
Sporting, led by Amorim, overcame a deficit to defeat City 4-1 in the Champions League. Within five minutes, Phil Foden had placed City ahead, but a goal from Maxi Araujo and a hat-trick from Viktor Gyokeres gave the Lisbon team the win.
The Portuguese team’s victory brings them one step closer to earning a spot in the European knockout stages. They are now ranked second in the Champions League’s league phase, but other clubs have the opportunity to pass them with victories on Wednesday. The top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16.
But Amorim will be in the Premier League by the time the following round rolls around. Guardiola was quick to remind him that the two Manchester teams have distinct aims this season. He will take over as manager of Manchester United on November 11.
“In the Premier League and possibly the FA Cup, we will play them twice. After United’s loss to Amorim, Guardiola remarked, “It is not possible in the Champions League.”
On December 14, City and United will play their first league game at Etihad Stadium. Both teams will have a greater understanding of what is at stake in the championship fight and the battle for European qualification by the time they play at Old Trafford in early April.
With one victory each, the last two FA Cup finals have been all-Manchester affairs. However, as Guardiola points out, Amorim can aim for Europa League triumph but won’t have a chance with his new team in this season’s Champions League due to United’s eighth-place finish under Erik ten Hag last season.
Sporting players celebrating with Ruben Amorim ( Image: Getty Images)
When Foden broke the impasse early on, it appeared as though City would continue their impressive start in Europe. Araujo put Sporting ahead seconds after the restart, but Gyokeres equalized before halftime, so it was back to square one for the Premier League winners.
Erling Haaland had a fantastic opportunity to cut the advantage when his own penalty kick bounced back off the bar, but Gyokeres’ penalty kick increased Sporting’s lead. A comprehensive victory over a City team that had not even given up a goal in Europe prior to their trip to the Alvalade was completed with another Gyokeres penalty.
The team was in a “dark place” following their third loss in a week, according to City midfielder Bernardo Silva. Bournemouth ended their unbeaten league start, Tottenham eliminated Guardiola’s club from the Carabao Cup, and Sporting completed an unforgettable week.
“It’s football. The Portuguese remarked, “It’s hard to find reasons for what is happening to us.” “This club hasn’t lost three straight games in seven and a half seasons that I can recall. It appears that this club is now headed in the wrong direction.
