A very recognizable City seals the pass to the quarterfinals of the Champions League

The team insistently searched for the goal against Sporting, although the scoreboard did not move. The idea prevailed 0-5 in Lisbon.

With five goals from the first leg in Lisbon, City faced the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 as the team’s DNA dictates, to dominate and beat Sporting de Portugal. There were no goals at the Etihad Stadium and the team is already among the top eight in Europe.

The team was true to form, recognizable, and held off the defending champion and current second-placed team from the Portuguese league who came to Mancheser in search of a victory, or a performance, with which to restore honor.

City went into the game with only 14 first-team players available and in a delicate defensive situation, which led to the entry of CJ Egan-Riley, marking the EDS captain’s Champions League debut.

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The team gained defensive skill after passing through the locker room.

The entrance of a Riyadh Mahrez on fire this season seemed to have an immediate impact on the game. Before reaching the second minute of the restart, an action by the Algerian had already finished with the ball at the back of the net after assisting Gabriel Jesus. However, the VAR review confirmed the Brazilian’s slightly forward position at the time of the pass.

In an atypical European night due to the wide margin of the result in the first leg, Fernandinho, in his 100th match in his 100th match in the Champions League (30 with Shakhtar and 70 with City), starred in a masterful lesson in passing, reading and control of the tempo of the game and was about to serve a goal to Mahrez.

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Riyadh was not Pep’s only novelty during the break. James McAtee, 19 years old, enjoyed 45 minutes of quality in the premiere in the highest continental competition. Luke Mbete completed the roster of debutants on his 84th-minute entrance onto the pitch in place of John Stones.

17 years separate McAtee from Scott Carson, 36 years, 37 in September. Just 17 years ago the goalkeeper had not enjoyed the taste of the Champions League, to which he returned in the 73rd minute of the game, after doing it for the last time with Liverpool in 2005.

A complete night in Manchester in which only the goals were missing.

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🔵 0-0 🟢 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/LchREhDMgu

— Manchester City (@ManCityCatala) March 9, 2022

meaning

City reach at least the Champions League quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive season. Liverpool, Bayern and Real Madrid accompany, for the moment, in the next meeting between the eight best teams in Europe.

The other four classified will come from the qualifying rounds Chelsea-Lille (2-0), Villarreal-Juventus (1-1), Benfica-Ajax (2-2) and the duel between Altético de Madrid and Manchester United (1-1).

The quarterfinals of the Champions League will be played on April 5-6 and 12-13.

The draw, next March 18.

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OUNCES

CITY: Ederson (Carson, 73’) StonesEgan Riley, Laporte (Mbete, 84′), Zinchenko, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Bernardo (McAtee, 45’), Gabriel Jesus, Sterling and Foden (Mahrez45’).

Dock: Slicker (ps), Rodrigo, De BruyneKayky, Grealish, Edozie y Delap.

SPORTING: Adán, Gonçalo Inácio, Coates, Luis Neto (Feddal, 89′), Bruno Tabata, Ugarte, Pedro Porro (Ricardo Esgaio, 78′), Matheus Reis, Sarabia (Edwards, 58′), Slimani (Rodrigo Ribeiro, 89′) and Paulinho (Nuno Santos, 78′).

Dock: André Paulo (ps), João Virginia (ps), Rúben Vinagre, Dário Essugo and Renato Veiga.

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WHAT’S COMING

To enjoy the next day of the Premier League we will have to wait until Monday the 14th, when the team visits Crystal Palace.

City’s last game before the international window at the end of March will take the team to Southampton, in search of a place in the FA Cup semi-finals (Sunday 20).

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