After being the graveyard for their European hopes, the Jose Alvalade Stadium was Manchester City’s field of dreams last night.
City lost their two previous visits in the last 16 of the Europa League in 2012 and two years ago against Lyon in the Champions League quarters when the ground hosted the latter stages of the competition.
Pep Guardiola ’s side banished those ghosts in devastating fashion to show whey they are favourites to win a first Champions League.
Portuguese sports paper A Bola had tried to talk up Sporting’s slim chances with a cartoon on yesterday’s front page of boss Ruben Amorim as David and Guardiola as Goliath with the headline “Giants can fall”.
But the City giant simply squashed Sporting with a blistering display of attacking football.
Will Manchester City win the Champions League? Have your say in the comments below.
This was like Tyson Fury against a flyweight and the tie was over before half-time as City stormed into a four-goal lead.
It was the first time City had scored four in the first 45 minutes of a Champions League game and the first time in the competition’s history that any side has done it in the knock-out stages.
It was a masterclass in finishing by the Blues and their five goals came from just six shots on target.
Riyad Mahrez tormented Sporting and he scored the first to register his 10th Champions League goal in his last 11 appearances and had a hand in the next two.
Benfica old boy Bernardo Silva also piled on the agony with two goals and his first was a scorcher of a volley.
Phil Foden also joined in on the fun by marking his 150th Blues appearance with the third before Raheem Sterling curled home to complete the rout.
The City juggernaut rolls on and they have won 19 of their last 21 games in all competitions as they chase the treble.
They are red-hot favourites to retain the Premier League title are through to the FA Cup fifth round and will take some stopping in Europe on the evidence of his scintillating display.
The onslaught began as early as the seventh minute when City cut Sporting open down the left to score with a little help from VAR.
Silva pulled the ball back for Foden and when his shot was saved by Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan, Kevin De Bruyne teed up the rebound for Mahrez to shoot home.
De Bruyne was standing on the byline and was adjudged to be offside by the officials before VAR Marco Fritz ruled he was onside.
It got even better for City on 17 minutes when they doubled their lead through a wonder strike by Silva.
Sporting failed to clear Mahrez’s corner from the right and the ball dropped to Silva on the left, who cracked a superb volley home off the underside of the bar.
Sporting just about had time to gather their breath before City hit them again to score a third on 32 minutes.
Sporting skipper and former Liverpool centre-half Sebastian Coates failed to deal with Mahrez’s ball and Foden pounced from six yards out.
It was all too easy for City and they underlined their ruthlessness to score a fourth a minute before half-time.
Sterling broke down the left and pulled the ball back for Silva to score a deflected shot past Adan.
Silva thought he had completed his hat-trick four minutes after half-time only for VAR to disallow it for offside.
It was only a temporary respite for Sporting and Sterling curled home a brilliant fifth into the top corner from over 20 yards out to make it 5-0 and good night.
