In a surprising turn of events, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has vowed to keep fighting after his side suffered a disheartening 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League.
Hosts Sporting Lisbon were boosted by a remarkable hat-trick from Victor Gyokeres, providing a historic victory for Ruben Amorim in his final match in charge before transitioning to the Manchester United role.
Amorim’s tenure was marked by this emphatic victory, which will undoubtedly delight the fans of his new club.
City have faced a series of injuries to crucial players, prompting Guardiola to field young defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey after Ruben Dias and John Stones were left out.
This latest defeat marks City’s biggest loss since September 2020 and highlights their struggles as they have now lost three consecutive matches under Guardiola for the second time.
After the match, Guardiola urged his players to raise their level of performance, while affirming his determination to restore the team to its former glory.
“I need to find an explanation, but sometimes it’s just how football is, and you have to accept these realities. Life can be like that too. Bad moments come, and we must face them,” Guardiola explained.
“Everyone needs to take a step forward, and I believe we will find our way back. We remain in contention in all competitions and will continue to move forward. However, our current performances are simply not good enough. We need to improve.
“At the moment, we find ourselves in a difficult situation; everything seems to be going wrong. However, despite three consecutive defeats, we maintain commendable positions in both the Premier League and the Champions League. Our quest continues — we are fighters, but we need to do better . I’m not throwing in the towel. Maybe some expect me to, but I’m not going to surrender.”
Currently, Manchester City is in a bad phase, having suffered defeats against Tottenham, Bournemouth and Sporting Lisbon consecutively.
For his part, Sporting Lisbon hat-trick hero Viktor Gyokeres expressed his delight at facing such high-level competition. “It’s always a thrill to score, and a hat-trick makes it even sweeter. When we face stronger opponents, we need to raise our level of play, and my aim was to maintain my performance standards,” he commented.
Gyokeres has now scored an impressive 23 goals in just 17 appearances across all competitions this season.
On the other hand, Ruben Amorim emphasized the importance of this landmark victory, describing it as a defining moment for everyone associated with the club. “This was undoubtedly a monumental occasion for us, not just because of the score, but in terms of the feelings shared with our fans as we said goodbye to them. Everyone here deserved this success. Ending on such a high note at the Estádio José Alvalade adds a touch the only one on my way out,” he said.
As for Manchester City, they will be looking to reverse their bad fortunes when they face Brighton this Saturday in their next Premier League clash.
