Sporting Lisbon 0-5 Manchester City: Cityzens player ratings as five-star visitors cruise to victory in Lisbon | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
Manchester City obliterated Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 with a commanding performance on Tuesday.
The Premier League champions came into the game on the back of a resounding 4-0 away victory over Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday. They continued from where they left off in Lisbon with a 5-0 away victory over Sporting, rendering the second leg a mere formality.
It took just seven minutes for Manchester City to open the scoring. Riyad Mahrez was in the right place at the right time to convert Kevin de Bruyne’s low cross into an empty net. The linesman initially raised his flag for offside, but a VAR review overruled his decision. This opened the floodgates in a rampant first half.
The visitors doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Bernardo Silva fired the ball into the back of the net after Rodri had flicked a corner kick into his path. Phil Foden’s bullet shot inside the area bounced off the upright to put Manchester City three goals up in the 32nd minute.
Manchester City scored their fourth goal one minute before the break. Silva picked up Raheem Sterling’s pass, and his deflected shot from inside the area left Antonio Adan flat-footed.
You need a bit of luck to score that many goals as well but I’m very happy with the win, a great result and a good performance.
BERNARDO ???? You need a bit of luck to score that many goals as well but I’m very happy with the win, a great result and a good performance.Sometimes you play better than we played this first half and it’s 0-0, we can still improve and can still do better.#ManCity | #UCL https://t.co/I1U7oGxNhv
The Portugal international thought he had his hat-trick five minutes into the second half when he headed home from close range. However, the VAR revealed an offside in the build-up, and the goal was rightly chalked off.
Raheem Sterling scored the pick of the bunch when his right-footed curler from outside the area found the top corner and left Adan with no chance.
The win puts Manchester City in cruise control for the tie and puts them in good stead ahead of their trip to Tottenham on Saturday.
Here is a rundown of how Pep Guardiola’s players fared in the game.
Manchester City player ratings against Sporting Lisbon
Ederson – 6.5/10
Ederson did not have to make a single save in a match that was totally dominated by his side.
Joao Cancelo – 6.5/10
The Portugal international made two interceptions and one clearance. Surprisingly, he did not offer too much in attack.
Aymeric Laporte – 7/10
Aymeric Laporte made two interceptions and one tackle during the game. He also hit a shot off target before making way for Nathan Ake in the 84th minute.
Ruben Dias – 7/10
Ruben Dias made four clearances, and his ball distribution from the back saw him end the game with a pass accuracy of 92.8%.
John Stones – 6/10
The England international once again started the game at right-back. He did not have the best of displays before being replaced by Oleksandr Zinchenko on the hour mark.
Kevin de Bruyne – 7.5/10
The Manchester City playmaker registered the first assist of the night, one of three chances he created in the game. He failed to hit the target with any of the two shots he took.
Rodri – 7/10
The former Atletico Madrid man created one chance and had a pass accuracy of 95.2% as he excelled in his role of shielding the defense.
Bernardo Silva – 9.5/10
Bernardo Silva put in a star performance as he shone brightly with two goals and an assist. He also put in a defensive shift before making way for Liam Delap with four minutes to go.
Raheem Sterling – 9/10
The England international continued his rich vein of form for Manchester City with an assist in the first half and a stunning strike in the 58th minute. He ended the game with a pass accuracy of 93.9%.
Phil Foden – 8/10
Phil Foden spent just an hour on the field but made his mark with a well-taken goal in the 32nd minute. He also completed all his attempted passes before departing for Ilkay Gundogan.
Riyad Mahrez – 9/10
The Algeria international opened the scoring with a simple tap-in in the seventh minute and was a contender for man-of-the-match following a star turn. He created a game-high four chances and also made contributions at the other end of the field.
Substitutes
Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10
Ilkay Gundogan completed the last half hour of the game and helped Manchester City maintain dominance throughout. He received a booking for a foul 14 minutes after coming on.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
The Ukraine international created one chance and made two tackles after coming on for John Stones.
Fernandinho – 5.5/10
Fernandinho replaced Rodri with 17 minutes to go and had 22 touches of the ball, which were mostly routine passes that helped Manchester City protect their lead.
Nathan Ake – 5.5/10
The Netherlands international came on with six minutes left and did not have a lot to do as the Cityzens were already home and dry by then.
Liam Delap – N/A
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The 19-year-old had just one touch of the ball in the six minutes he spent on the field.
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