Maybe this time it will finally come? After suffering a painful loss in last year’s final to Chelsea, Manchester City will try their best to go on to win the Champions League and as it looks this season it could certainly happen. Pep Guardiola’s side, who have been looking for the trophy with the big ears for 10 years, abused Sporting Lisbon with a huge 0-5 away and achieved an expensive advance to the Champions League quarter-final rematch which will be held at 9.3 at home.
This is the biggest away win in City’s history in the Champions League. The big record was also set this season, in the home stage, when the Blues defeated Club Brugge 1: 5 in Belgium. What a dream season the English champion is going through. For Sporting, this is the biggest loss at home in the Champions League in conjunction with the loss it suffered against Bayern Munich.
From the start, City simply crushed the guest. In the ninth minute, the visitors’ excellent attack ended with a goal from Real Mahraz. At first, the gate was disqualified on a dissenting claim by chef Kevin de Beaune, but after lengthy inspection it was rightly approved. Only eight minutes passed and the Blues’ concert continued – Bernardo Silva, ex-Benfica Lisbon, dropped a huge bomb to the crossbar and inside and scored a just perfect goal.
City continued to abuse the Portuguese champions who looked simply helpless. In the 32nd minute, Phil Foden scored from close range after a Riyadh rhyme, which recorded a marvelous half. A minute before the break, City hit the unfortunate host hard again. Bernardo Reason took control of a ball in the box, sent it into the net and set up a dreamy 0: 4 for Pep Guardiola’s side at the break. City had 80% success in the first half of the kicks they sent to the frame when they kicked five of those. Just crazy.
City opened the second half with the same intensity. Silva had already completed a hat-trick but his goal was disallowed, but in the 58th minute no one could have taken from City the fifth. Outstanding Silva passed to Raheem Sterling who spun a perfect ball and scored the most beautiful goal of the game.
By the end of the game the game was conducted in a lower turtle as both teams wanted to keep forces ahead of their struggles in the local arena, and at the end City celebrated with a huge victory. By the way, Sporting’s crowd provided particularly exciting moments at the end when he encouraged his players in full force even though they were humiliated on the grass.