Sports

UCL: Man City Sail Through To Quarters After 0–0 Draw With Sporting

Published

3 years ago

Mar 10, 2022.

Manchester City advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 5-0 aggregate victory over Sporting Lisbon.
City were held to a goalless draw in the second leg at the Etihad Stadium.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Pep Guardiola, used the opportunity to rotate his side, making six changes from City’s 4-1 win over Manchester United, with teenager CJ Egan-Riley handed a Champions League debut at right-back.

James McAtee, another academy graduate, was impressed after coming off the bench at half-time, while there was also a second-half cameo for back-up goalkeeper Scott Carson, who denied Sporting’s Paulinho a winning goal with a fine one-on-one save after replacing Ederson for only his second Manchester City appearance.

Pep Guardiola’s side had as good as confirmed their place in the last eight with their five-star showing in last month’s first leg, allowing them to conserve their energy back at the Etihad.

City smashed four goals past Sporting in the first half of last month’s first leg but there was understandably less urgency in their play this time around while Sporting also offered stiffer resistance.

City created chances to win it in the closing stages, with John Stones sending a header narrowly over and Sterling blasting a diagonal shot into the side netting, but there was never any doubt that Guardiola’s men would be advancing to the last eight, with Luke Mbete, another youngster, also given a late cameo.

Click to watch our video of the week: