The Premier League topper Manchester City smashed Sporting CP in Portugal. Last night, they faced each other in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League match, where the Guardiola boys netted five goals against the home team. So, Manchester City are on their way to the quarterfinals unless something miraculous happens at the Etihad Stadium. On the other side, Paris Saint-Germain beat the Spanish giant, Real Madrid, with the last-minute goal of Kylian Mbappe.
Man City 5-0 Sporting CP
The current champion of the EPL, Manchester City, visited last night the Estadio Jose Alvalade. In this match, the City manager Pep Guardiola set up the team formation with 4-3-3. He put Kavin de Bruyne and Ruben Diaz in the starting XI. Both were absent in the clash against Norwich City in the Premier League. On the other side, Sporting CP played in the formation of 3-4-2-1.
The visitors were playing aggressively from the beginning of the match. As a result, they took the lead in just the 7th minute of the game. Riyad Maharez scored that goal with the assist of Kavin de Bruyne. The Guardiola boys doubled their lead in the 17th minute as the Portuguese midfielder, Bernardo Silva, netted the ball for the Citizens.
Conceding two early goals, the home team lost their tempo. They consumed two more goals before halftime. In the 32nd minute, Riyad Maharez assisted Phil Foden to score a brilliant goal. Moreover, Manchester City netted the fourth goal just before halftime. It was Bernardo Silva, who made his second strike for the City in this match. So, the visitors took a four-goal lead in the first half.
Returning from the break, the home team tried to find the net. But the defense of Manchester City was rock solid that they didn’t let anyone into the box. Moreover, Sporting CP conceded again in the 58th minute. This time, Raheem Sterling netted the ball for the Citizens. However, both teams couldn’t score in the remaining minutes. As a result, the English side won the first leg of the round of 16. Anyway, Sporting CP will travel to the Etihad Stadium on March 10 to play the second leg against the Citizens.