Manchester City barely needed half an hour to sentence their Champions League round of 16 tie against Sporting de Portugal. An authentic gale passed through the José Alvalade that in the first half turned into a goal in practically every arrival in the area by a tremendously effective Pep Guardiola team. In the end the 0-5 turns the second leg into a mere formality.
Sporting played a round of 16 in the Champions League for the first time since 2009, but a former Benfica player, Bernardo Silva, helped with his double to turn the dream night into a nightmare for the ‘lions’.
Sporting Portugal-Manchester City, in pictures
Guardiola surprised the start by placing central defender John Stones on the right side to cover Kyle Walker’s suspension, while he switched Joao Cancelo to play on the left. For his part, Rúben Amorim came out with three central defenders, with Pedro Porro and Ricardo Esgaio from Extremadura as lanes.
Good start Sporting with an incisive Pedro Perro
Sporting’s staging was good with fast shipments looking to surprise the English defense with speed. And in the first moments he achieved it with an incisive Pedro Porro, on loan from City, as the main resource.
But the ‘sky blue’ did not need to develop their devastating football control in the first half hour to sweep the rival with overwhelming efficiency.
The VAR grants Mahrez 0-1
The 0-1 was not long in coming. It was a goal in the 8th minute conceded by the VAR, which ruled out an offside when he picked up the rebound from Madrid’s Antonio Adán on a shot by Phil Foden on the baseline. The Belgian delayed for Riyad Mahrez, who scored on an empty goal.
If in attack Sporting continued to insist, although they were the victim of their lack of success in the last pass, their defense provided many facilities. Stones was about to take advantage of a poor clearance by Matheus Reis with a header that skimmed the post (10′).
Bernardo Silva begins his recital
Bernardo Silva began his recital with the 0-2 goal. The former Benfica player perfectly read a rebound after a corner and unleashed a left-footed shot as soon as it slipped past the crossbar (17′).
City were still unable to develop the game that Guardiola likes against a Sporting team that disputed the ball in this initial phase but was condemned definitively by a defensive error. Mahrez crossed low to the left, Matheus Reis did not arrive, Sebastián Coates missed the cut and left the ball loose for Foden to shoot the 0-3 (32′).
In half an hour, eliminatory sentenced
In just half an hour the tie was sentenced, but City did not take their foot off the accelerator and, with great finishing efficiency, completed the biggest win in a first half in a tie in the entire history of the Champions League with 0-4.
Cancelo put a great ball to Raheem Sterling, who delayed from the by-line and Bernardo Silva’s shot hit the net after being deflected by Gustavo Inacio and dislodging Adán (44′).
Sporting lowered their arms at 0-3 but City did not give them the option of even a minimal reaction. The VAR prevented a hat trick from Bernardo Silva, who was on top of the game when he headed in a measured cross from De Bruyne (50′).
Sterling seals the hand with a great goal
The 0-5 was the work of Sterling with an extraordinary thread from the edge of the area that slipped through the top corner (58′) and from then on City unfolded its usual rondo all over the field before the desperation of an impotent Sporting that he could not lavish a single shot between the three sticks throughout the game.