Sporting Lisbon delivered a stunning farewell gift to departing manager Ruben Amorim on Tuesday, dismantling Manchester City 4-1 in a Champions League spectacle that featured a Viktor Gyokeres hat-trick and a rare Erling Haaland penalty miss.
The defeat ended City’s remarkable 26-game unbeaten run in the Champions League and marked their third consecutive loss across all competitions, a streak not seen in six years under Pep Guardiola’s leadership.
Phil Foden had given City an early lead, capitalizing on Hidemasa Morita’s error to drive past Franco Israel. The visitors dominated the opening phase, controlling 75% possession, but Gyokeres equalized before halftime, cleverly looping his shot over Ederson after being released by Geovany Quenda.
The second half witnessed an extraordinary turn of events as Sporting struck twice in 44 seconds. Maximiliano Araujo fired home following Pedro Goncalves’ brilliant pass just 22 seconds after the restart, before Gyokeres converted a penalty awarded for Josko Gvardiol’s foul on Francisco Trincao.
City’s chance to mount a comeback evaporated when Haaland struck the crossbar with a penalty awarded for Ousmane Diomande’s handball. Gyokeres completed his hat-trick from the spot after Matheus Nunes fouled Geny Catamo, sealing a memorable victory for the Portuguese side.
“This is a historic night for our club,” said Amorim in his final home game. “The players executed our plan perfectly, and Viktor was simply unstoppable.”
Guardiola acknowledged his team’s struggles: “We were not at our level today. Sporting deserved their victory, and we must improve quickly.”
The result marks one of City’s most surprising European defeats under Guardiola, with the English champions looking unusually vulnerable throughout the second half. Gyokeres earned man-of-the-match honors for his clinical display, which included two perfectly executed penalties and an ingenious first-half finish.
The victory provides a fitting send-off for Amorim at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, while raising questions about City’s recent form as they enter a crucial phase of their season.
