Manchester City was able to hold its rank on Tuesday in the Champions League.
Widely favorite, the club even took a giant step towards the quarter-finals by exploding Sporting Portugal 5-0 in Lisbon in the 8th first leg of C1.
“5-0 is fantastic because today we were clinical.
The result is a dream but collectively we can play better,” said Sky Blues coach Pep Guardiola at a press conference after the match.
Vastly superior to their opponent, City were able to quietly recite their usual score.
By monopolizing the ball and multiplying the variations, the finalist of the last Champions League had no difficulty in finding the faults in the Sporting Lions block.
And six for Mahrez
Never really worried, the Citizens opened the scoring shortly after the start.
Riyad Mahrez took advantage of a ball pushed back at his feet by Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan after a strike from Phil Foden to score his sixth goal in C1 this season after using VAR (1-0, 9th).
A few minutes later, on a corner badly cleared by Matheus Reis, Bernardo Silva triggered a powerful half-volley from the left which violently hit the crossbar before finishing in the back of the net (2-0, 17th).
Untenable on his right wing, Mahrez went from scorer to passer by sending a good low cross victoriously taken over by Phil Foden in the heart of the Portuguese area for the Sky Blues' third goal (3-0, 32nd).
Pep Guardiola's men have thus honored their goal average this season in the Champions League, with three goals per game.
Better than average
But faced with their favorite status, City could not be satisfied with the average.
Former Benfica Lisbon, Sporting Portugal's great rival, Bernardo Silva scored twice by taking over a center back from Raheem Sterling, the ball being deflected by Gonçalo Inacio before deceiving Antonio Adan (4-0, 44th).
On returning from the locker room, Silva even believed in the hat-trick but the goal from the Portuguese international's header was refused for an offside position with the assistance of the VAR (50th).
Now in management, the current leaders of the Premier League have continued their recital without losing efficiency.
Already author of a hat-trick this weekend against Norwich, Raheem Sterling took advantage of a poor recovery from Adan to send a magnificent curled shot from the left edge of the area which ended its race in the opposite corner (5 -0.58e).
The last goal of a one-sided game.
After having made short work of the reigning Portuguese champion, Manchester City's horizon towards the quarter-finals of the C1 is therefore clear.
The return match, scheduled for March 9, should now only be a formality.
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Lisbon
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