Manchester City 1-3 Lyon
Pep Guardiola got his game plan all wrong as the Premier League side suffered a shock 3-1 Champions League quarter-final loss to Lyon in Lisbon on Saturday night.
Guardiola’s decision to deploy an unfamiliar five-man defence to match Lyon’s system backfired when gaping holes were left at the back.
For Lyon there was nothing complicated about their tactics. They just looked to play the ball in behind City’s static back-line and punish their general insipidness ruthlessly. The simple strategy worked a treat.
Going out at the quarter-final stage for the third time, The Citizens, who were regarded as favorites to face Bayern in the semis, were guilty of being extremely blunt in front of goal and were eventually made to pay by the French side, who finished seventh in the Ligue 1 last season.
Despite their basic and obvious approach, though, Lyon inexplicably outsmarted a side many tipped to end the season being crowned champions of Europe. Lyon snatched the lead in the 24th minute when a through ball to striker Karl Toko Ekambi was slotted home by Maxwel Cornet. The goal sparked the game to life and with City pressing for an equaliser but Guardiola’s men simply could not find the cutting edge in front of goal.
The introduction of Mahrez in the second half seemed to rejuvenate City who, for all their attacking intent, found the equaliser through De Bruyne who slotted home a Raheem Sterling cutback in the 69th minute.
Dembele restored the lead 10 minutes later by putting a shot under goalkeeper Ederson after being on the pitch for only four minutes.
Perhaps the moment of the game came late on when Raheem Sterling found himself with the goal at his mercy but somehow, the England forward blazed over the bar. That miss by Sterling seemed to seal City’s fate as barely a minute later and another swift Lyon attack saw substitute Dembele secure his brace after an error from goalkeeper Ederson.
City tried to mount a comeback late on but it was simply not their day as the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Sterling were simply not clinical enough on the day.
While Lyon prepare to face Bayern Munich in its first Champions League semifinal in a decade, City must face up to another collapse in its quest to become European champions for the first time.
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