1-0 to Manchester City in the fourth minute.
It seemed business as usual when Phil Foden powered a low drive past Sporting CP keeper Franco Israel to give the visitors the lead. The crowd within Estadio Jose Alvalade were silenced - not an easy feat mind you - and it seemed that Pep Guardiola was about to give newly-minted Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim a torrid farewell from his cherished environs.
Erling Haaland certainly looked in the mood, drawing two excellent saves from Israel as City's blue wave looked all set to engulf their opponents from Lisbon. Bernardo Silva came close, Amorim saw his side clear the ball off the line - City could have been 4-0 up...
...And then Viktor Gyokeres decided to tear up the script.
The 26-year-old Swede is certainly someone familiar with tearing up scripts. A part of Brighton's setup for five years - one of English football's best clubs at identifying talent saw it fit to let him leave for Coventry City, who paid a paltry ₤1 million. Three years (and a move to Sporting CP) later, his release clause stands at €100 million and the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are reportedly willing to pay a sizeable fee for his services. In the 38th minute of this game, Gyokeres showed exactly why.
Geovany Quenda had the ball in the middle of the park, as Sporting began a transition with City caught up the pitch. Manuel Akanji moved over to cover a run from Trincao on the right wing, but it meant a whole channel opened up for Gyokeres to run into.
And yet, he was behind Jahmai Simpson-Pusey when Quenda played the ball forward. Gyokeres backed himself to overcome the 19-year-old centre-back with his combination of pace and power - and that's exactly what he did. He ran onto the pass from his teenaged teammate and took a touch to power past Simpson-Pusey, who always looked second best.
The second touch was another push forward into the box, all while holding off the City defender with absurd ease. His third touch took him slightly away from goal, but this seemed deliberate, as Gyokeres spied Ederson charging in from the City goal to block his angles.
Ederson is one of the best in the world at stopping one-on-ones, if not the best. The situation was effectively a one-on-one since Simpson-Pusey's presence was a mere afterthought to Gyokeres, a fly on a charging bull. This was Sporting's chance, this was Gyokeres' chance to announce himself to the wider world (even if 66 goals in 67 games for Sporting had already done that). Would he hack at it, take a wild swipe and just hope to power it past Ederson?
No. Not for this striker. Gyokeres employed what many term the 'Ozil chop', bouncing the ball into the turf to get loft on the ball and then watched in delight as the ball looped over Ederson and nestled into the net.
Congrats @viktor_gyokeres
Nice chip shot! ���� https://t.co/01PgfGPGDI
- Mesut Özil (@M10) November 6, 2024
It was the finish of a striker with ice in his veins. The finish of a striker who knows he's the main man. The finish of a striker who's destined for greater things.
The Jose Alvalade erupted, now certain in their hope, now sure that City were there for the taking. That goal sparked a performance for the ages - Amorim's side then went on to beautifully dismantle City, Maximiliano Araujo giving the hosts the lead early in the second half, before Gyokeres sealed the victory, and his hat-trick (the first in the UCL for Sporting since 1982) with two emphatic penalties.
City had only twice before conceded four in the UCL - to Real Madrid and Barcelona. Conceding four to Sporting, with all due respect, was never on the cards. But for the two men to whom the night belonged - Amorim and Gyokeres, this was business as usual.