Manchester City were the absolute favorites before the start of the game against Sporting Lisbon in the first clash between the two sides for the round of 16 of the Champions League and with a deafening win and a deafening triumph they secured their title 100% 5-0 for Jose Alvalade to their Effectively securing attendance in the institution’s quarter-finals ahead of the rematch at Etihad.

All the money in the game was the first part, in which the England champions were an unstoppable machine who melted their opponent by scoring four goals with Bernardo Silva (2), Fontaine and Mahrez, with Sterling icing on the cake and the final wrote the 58th minute that gave the Citizens only their second win in their last seven games on Portuguese soil.

The game

Sporting went into the game with drive and enthusiasm, supported by their 50,000 fans on the podium, but Manchester City extended their lead early and especially in the 7th minute when they scored the first goal in their first final.

Adan initially blocked Fontaine’s shot through the box but De Bruyne took the rebound and gave it to Mahrez, who executed it from close range, the goal initially being disallowed after the Belgian was ruled offside but eventually counted by VAR after phase control would.

The second goal followed ten minutes later for the Citizens to crown their absolute dominance in the first 20 minutes when Mahrez bailed out a corner from the right in the 17th minute and was slammed into the ball after Rodri’s header by Bernardo Silva, sending the ball to the horizontal bar and then landed in the net (0:2).

This beautiful goal was applauded by the Sporting fans even though it came from a Portuguese who had associated his name with Benfica, but the impressive thing is that the hosts’ friends applauded the third goal.

In the 32nd minute in particular, when Mahrez ran from the right and returned to the level of the small area, Reyes and Coates failed to pursue and Fontaine made the close game 3-0 with the 8th goal of his career in the Champions League.

However, the ordeal of Amorim’s players did not end in the first part, because in the 42nd minute Bernardo Silva scored two goals with a shot through the large penalty area (the ball also hit an opponent’s body), making a nice move from Sterling she took advantage of opposing defenses before giving him the assist.

Thus was born City’s incredible attacking monologue before the two sides head to the dressing room for the break, with Pep Guardiola becoming the first in Champions League history, finishing by 4+ goals the first part of an away game in a knockout stage of Europe’s top inter-club competition.

The misfortune for the Amorim team was that City did not switch off the engine immediately after the dynamic start in the second half and after a goal from Bernardo Silva, which did not initially count, scored the fifth goal after the VAR controlled the phase in the 49th minute stubbornly, in the 58th minute.

After Adan mistakenly removed the ball, Sterling took possession of the ball outside the box and sent the ball into the left window with a skillful fake right-hand pitch to write the 5-0 in awe from the departing Citizens fans and to move City to the top of the teams with the most goals in this year’s Champions League (23, one more than Bayern).

That goal effectively ended the game after the last half-hour was entirely procedural, with the shocked Sporting not even being able to score the consolation goal (he even ended the game with only three finals, none in goal) and City to reach the 15th final without sweating and just about manages to do so with a view to the next game in the Premier League, at home against Tottenham next Saturday (19.2.).

ATHLETIC: Adan, Esgaio, Koates, Iniasio, Poros (82′ Neto), Palinia, Nounies, Reyes, Sarabia (75′ Tampata), Paulinho (75′ Slimani), Gonzalves (50′ Ugarte)

MANCHESTER CITY: Anderson, Cancello, Ruben Dias, Laport (85′ Ake), Stones (61′ Zinchenko), Bernardo Silva (84′ Delap), Rodri (73′ Fernandinho) De Bruyne, Mahrez, Fontaine (61′)