Citizens didn’t allow any surprises and advanced to the quarter-finals, Sporting says goodbye without scoring a goal

The Champions League semi-final rematch between Manchester City and Sporting Lisbon went as most fans and experts expected. The Citizens clearly secured their progress to the next stage, although their offensive stars were able to keep Lisbon at bay.

The Citizens shot Manchester United 4:1 in the weekend derby, and the home team’s performance was absolutely convincing. It can be said that they outplayed their arch rivals in terms of the game.

On Wednesday evening, they will face a Champions League rematch against Sporting Lisbon. City destroyed Ruben Amorim’s side 5-0 in the first leg.

The Citizens went into the second match in full game spirit and it looked like that not only in the opening minutes but also during the first half.

However, apart from two decent chances by Phil Foden, the home side did not create any significant scoring opportunities. At the same time, Pep Guardiola’s selection didn’t allow Sporting any clear-cut chances.

The Citizens’ biggest scoring opportunity came in the 38th minute when Raheem Sterling had enough space on the left wing to finish. However, Antonio Adán pulled off a great save to save his team from conceding a goal.

The opening act of this eight-legged rematch was a goalless draw and the score was 0-0, with the second half almost mirroring the first half.

The home team was much more active on the ball and clearly controlled the game. This resulted in the opening goal in the 47th minute, which was scored by Gabriel Jesus, who cleared the ball into the bottom left corner. However, the joy of the home side was interrupted by the VAR system, the referee subsequently disallowing the goal due to offside.

The striker with number 9 on his back had another chance in the 55th minute, but his shot was comfortably cleared by Adán. Less than five minutes later, Marcus Edwards scored on the other end. Ederson had no problem with his shot.

During the next few minutes, Citizens pressed the Lisbon team hard, but still the fans did not see any successful shooting attempts.

Sporting came up with an interesting combination in the 72nd minute, but Matheus Reis’ resulting shot did not find its way between the three posts.

Three minutes later, the visitors’ striker Paulinho had a chance, but his shot was deflected by Scott Carson. Riyad Mahrez had one of the last big chances of the match, but he couldn’t beat Sporting’s goalkeeper from outside the penalty area.

The very last one was scored in the 93rd minute after a beautiful combination by Sterling, who failed to finish Manchester City’s action and sent the ball just wide of the left post.

Despite not scoring a goal, the home side expertly secured the eight-goal rematch and progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Not only according to the statistics, but also according to the gameplay, they dominated this match.

Source: UEFA