Ruben Amorim endeared himself to Manchester United fans before even arriving at Old Trafford by engineering a stunning 4-1 defeat of Manchester City with Sporting Lisbon.
The Portuguese was taking charge of his final home match as Sporting boss before officially starting work as United’s head coach and watched as his side came from behind to thrash City in the Champions League.
City took an early lead through Phil Foden but Sporting hit back with a hat-trick that included two penalties from Viktor Gyokeres – who has been tipped to follow Amorim to United – and a strike by Maximiliano Araujo.
Obrigado, Rúben Amorim 💚 #UCL pic.twitter.com/itvLdHKS6C
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 5, 2024
It was the first time City – for whom Erling Haaland missed a penalty – have lost three games in succession since 2018, excluding a later sequence in 2021 that included the Community Shield.
The evening began with Sporting in celebratory mood as they showed their appreciation for Amorim for a four-year spell in which he delivered two domestic titles.
They were celebrating again by the end, but only after overcoming a poor start in which City could have put the result beyond doubt themselves.
City won 5-0 on their last visit to the Jose Alvalade Stadium and may have fancied a repeat as they opened the scoring within four minutes.
Hidemasa Morita was robbed by Foden and punished as the England international fired through a poor attempt at a save by Franco Israel.
It was Foden’s eighth goal in his last nine Champions League starts and he nipped in to seize possession again soon after, but this time the attack ended when Haaland sliced wide.
Israel almost had another moment to forget when he dallied in possession but he cleared in the nick of time from under Haaland’s feet.
Despite City’s dominance, they were vulnerable to the counter-attack.
They had a lucky escape after Rico Lewis gave the ball away and Gyokeres raced away from inside his own half only to shot tamely at Ederson.
It was a poor miss but the former Coventry striker was in the right place to hook clear off his own line from a Haaland header.
Haaland was also denied by a fine save from Israel when he met a Foden cross with a fierce volley and Bernardo Silva shot wide.
City were made to rue their profligacy as Sporting snatched an equaliser before the break.
FULL-TIME | Defeat in Lisbon.
🟢 4-1 🩵 #ManCity | #UCL pic.twitter.com/2qJpvXaRQ2
— Manchester City (@ManCity) November 5, 2024
Again they were caught by a quick break as Geovany Quenda released Gyokeres and this time the Swede made no mistake as he outpaced teenager Jamhai Simpson-Pusey to score.
It sparked a remarkable turnaround, with Francisco Trincao shooting over just before the break and Sporting grabbing the lead within 20 seconds of the second half starting.
The hosts went straight upfield and Araujo finished emphatically after timing his run onto Pedro Goncalves’ neat through-ball to perfection.
Things immediately got worse for City as they conceded a penalty within a minute of the next restart when Josko Gvardiol bundled Trincao over in the box. Gyokeres thumped home the spot-kick.
City were offered a route back into the game when they were awarded a controversial penalty of their own by VAR after a Silva shot struck Ousmane Diomande’s arm. Haaland failed to capitalise as he smashed the ball against the crossbar.
The third penalty of the game was awarded 10 minutes from time when substitute Geny Catamo was knocked over by Matheus Nunes.
Gyokeres again finished emphatically and Amorim, who will face City again in a Manchester derby next month, could wave farewell to the home fans in good heart.
[(AZ Alkmaar) Strength]: 1. AZ Alkmaar finished 5th in the Eredivisie last season, securing a Conference League spot. They aim to qualify for the Champions League this season. Facing FC Groningen in the opener at home, they are eager to start with a win.2. AZ Alkmaar signed forwards Mateo Chavez and Isak Jensen in the summer window.3. AZ Alkmaar finished 5th with 16 wins, 9 draws, and 9 losses in ...
[(FK Haugesund) Weakness]: 1. FK Haugesund are at the bottom of the league table. Facing 10th-placed Sarpsborg 08 FF, they are going to lose this home game, indicating a lack of motivation.2. FK Haugesund had multiple injured players lately, who will all miss this league game.3. FK Haugesund are still winless in the league this season so far, showing poor form. They lost 2-0 to Stromsgodset in the...
[(Orlando City) Strength]: 1. Orlando City player Muriel scored three goals in the last game, completing a hat-trick and delivering an outstanding performance.2. Orlando City have achieved successive wins after beating Club Necaxa 5-1 in their last game, with good form.3. Orlando City have scored eight goals in their last two games, with strong attacking force.4. The AH line is -0.5 for the home s...
[(Los Angeles Galaxy) Strength]: 1. Marco Reus has scored 5 goals for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer this season and is the team's top scorer.2. On August 8th, in the third round of the Leagues Cup, Los Angeles Galaxy won 4-0 at home against Liga MX team Santos Laguna, during which the young Brazilian player Matheus Nascimento scored a brace and performed outstandingly.3. Los Angeles Ga...
[(Vaasan Palloseura) Strength]: 1. Vaasan Palloseura are 8th in the table and on an 8-game winless run. They urgently need to return to winning ways, indicating strong motivation in this game.2. Martti Haukioja scored first in the last game, once helping the team take the lead.3. Vaasan Palloseura won 3 games in a row between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Vaasan Palloseura) Neutral]...
[(Crystal Palace F.C.) Strength]: 1. Crystal Palace F.C. won the FA Cup last season, earning them a spot in the FA Community Shield. The team will go all out for victory in this match to add another trophy to their cabinet, showing strong determination.2. In the summer transfer window, Crystal Palace F.C. only made a low-cost signing of defender Borna Sosa and signed goalkeeper Walter Benitez on a...
[(Degerfors IF) Strength]: 1. Degerfors IF are deep in the relegation zone, ranking 15th in the league table and 6 points away from the safe zone. In this home match, they are motivated to grab points to avoid relegation.2. Degerfors IF won the last 2 league games against BK Hacken, including a 1-0 win in the last home game.[(Degerfors IF) Weakness]: 1. Degerfors IF suffered a crushing 3-0 defeat ...
[(Zhejiang Professional F.C.) Strength]: 1. Zhejiang Professional F.C. are 6th in the table and on a 3-game winning streak. They will go all out to continue winning in this game, indicating strong motivation.2. Alexandru Mitrita scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team win.3. Zhejiang Professional F.C. won 4-2 over Shenzhen Peng City in the last game, securing a 3-game w...
[(AFC Ajax) Strength]: 1. As the traditional giants in the Eredivisie, AFC Ajax narrowly missed out on last season's title by just one point, finishing as runners-up. This season, they are determined to reclaim the championship. Additionally, with ambitions to perform well in the Champions League, a strong start in the league is crucial, and they aim to secure an opening victory at home to build m...
[(Wuhan Three Towns FC) Strength]: 1. Wuhan Three Towns FC are currently 11th in the league table. The team have not won in five consecutive matches and urgently need a victory to get back on the winning track. They are highly motivated in this game.2. Alexandru Tudorie has made 17 appearances in the league this season and scored 9 goals, making him the top scorer of the team.3. Wuhan Three Towns ...
- 1 PSG Willing to Sell Lucas Beraldo – But Only If Two Demands Are Met Amid Premier League Interest
- 2 TIPS - FCSB VS KF Drita Gjilan
- 3 TIPS - Lincoln Red Imps VS FC Noah
- 4 TIPS - Rigas Futbola Skola VS KuPS
- 5 Juventus Eye Fresh Bid for Chelsea Defender Renato Veiga, But Serie A Club Must First Sell Ex-Newcastle Star
- 6 TIPS - FC Kairat Almaty VS SK Slovan Bratislava
- 7 Man City loanee Simpson-Pusey ready to prove himself at Celtic: This is a big opportunity!
- 8 TIPS - Orlando City VS Club Necaxa
- 9 Three-time Grand Slam winner Aryna Sabalenka drives fans wild
- 10 TIPS - FC Kaiserslautern VS Schalke 04