Swedish striker scored three goals and forgave more than usual
Man of the match: Gyokeres (9)
Who was that striker with a ride very similar to the Swede who, at 8m, passed the ball into Ederson's hands? It's just that, suddenly, he didn't look anything like him. At 28m, in the other goal, he made a cut worth a goal, over the line after Haaland's header. And it was in defense that he gained confidence to start a night that was very good, but could have been historic. Few strikers can one day say that they scored a hat-trick for this Manchester City team and that it could have been more. Not to be superlative, but the usual Gyokeres started another game to remember. And another episode in the legend of the attacker with the mask in Alvalade. You may already have Manchester English translation?
Franco Israel (8) – Foden's shot for the opening goal is very strong, but the idea remains that if the Uruguayan hadn't moved… he would have taken the ball to his body. At 9m he won the first duel with Haaland. In the 20th minute he caused goosebumps when he lost the ball in the small area in front of the Norwegian, nine minutes later he deflected his header with his fingertips and a minute later he hit him with a great kick. Phew, what a half hour! Things then calmed down for the Uruguayan, who in the 2nd half won another duel with Haaland, although without much merit in the penalty that hit the crossbar.
Debast (7) – Not much was given to him. But even less was given for Haaland. And that says a lot about the Belgian's performance. He didn't let himself get ahead of himself at any point, which made him much more comfortable in a match that was expected to be very tough.
Diomande (8) – Huge game from the Ivorian defender, who will certainly have his name highlighted in England. He was unfortunate in the play in which a penalty was awarded, but was later rewarded by Haaland's miss from the 11 meter mark, but he played an impeccable game.
Matheus Reis (7) – He had one of the most thankless jobs of the night. Taking the lead with Savinho and also Haaland's favorite area to finish put his nerves to the test. He resisted and left exhausted, but certainly with a feeling of accomplishment.
Quenda (7) – The first minutes showed a boy complaining about the pressure of the game, but the first time he managed to have the ball and space, he launched Gyokeres for the equalizer. He grew with the assistance even in defensive terms and in the 2nd half Matheus Nunes dried up.
Morita (6) – The Japanese could not have had a worse start to the game. Getting distracted when you have players of Manchester City's caliber around you is not a good idea. And Foden showed him that. He stole the ball at the edge of the area and opened the scoring in the fourth minute. He calmed down after that and considering the pressure of the game, it says a lot about the Japanese player's character.
Hjulmand (7) – Almost invisible game from the captain. But extremely important in the task of blocking paths to the goal. Managing the movements of opponents who moved between the lines was fundamental to defending Israel's goal.
Maxi Araújo (8) – Shared with Matheus Reis the task of stopping the man who most tried to move the game forward for the English team: Savinho. He spent the first half defending, but took revenge 19 seconds into the second half, combining with Pote to score the winning goal. He left exhausted after receiving a yellow card for grabbing Savinho in desperation.
Trincão (7) – Far from playing at the level he has shown this season, thanks largely to defensive tasks, he stood out in the way he won the penalty that made it 3-1.
Pedro Gonçalves (8) – The work he did on Lewis before isolating Gyokeres at 8m didn't deserve what the Swede did when he attempted a hat (?) on Ederson. Maxi Araújo was more friendly and 19 seconds into the 2nd half he took advantage of a huge move from number 8 to make the comeback. This game makes it clear why he is one of Rúben Amorim's favorite players. It really is an all-rounder. And a handyman. Even if there aren't many moves appearing in the game summary. Did you miss a pass?
Catamo (8) – Great entry from the Mozambican player, who didn't even want to know who was on the other side. Very intelligent in the way he won the penalty under pressure from Matheus Nunes.
St. Juste (7) – Brought freshness to the Lions' defense, at a stage when their legs were already starting to feel heavy, such was the pressure from Guardiola's team on the Lions' most defensive sector.
Daniel Bragança (7) – The midfielder's entry allowed the team to breathe with the ball, at a stage in which the most important thing was to take the ball away from the Citizens.
Quaresma (7) – Came in cold due to Quenda's physical complaints and made a cut celebrated as a goal. Concentrated as I had to be.
Harder (-) – It was another one to defend in the last minutes, always keeping an eye on a possible counterattack.
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