When Julio Enciso rocketed his strike into the top corner of Stefan Ortega's goal on Wednesday night, the Manchester City fans behind the goal applauded.
Enciso's brilliant equaliser earned Brighton a deserved point in a high-quality game, with Ortega continuing his good form for City ahead of next week's FA Cup final. He was helpless for Enciso's goal, however, with Brighton fans audibly reacting to a replay of the strike on the Amex Stadium screens.
And Ortega says he also saw the strike and agreed with the fans in the stadium, praising the Paraguayan and admitting he had no chance of stopping the goal.
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“When the goal was on the screen I was like, ‘oh my god, what a strike’," Ortega said.
"No chance I think [of stopping it]. It was a special goal and sometimes you can’t defend this. Congrats to him.”
Ortega faced 20 shots on goal at Brighton, the second-most efforts City have faced in a top-flight game under Pep Guardiola, as a much-changed side extended their unbeaten run to 25 games.
Reflecting on City's performance, Ortega said: “We didn’t lose. Our run is incredible. We said before the game that these two games are really important for us to keep the rhythm. If we drop now, it will be difficult to turn it on again. We were really focused today.
"It was a tough and difficult game, but the result is fine. Both teams had chances to win but we will take it. They have a mentality at this club and this team that every game is a chance to win and that’s how we play.
“We know each other and it’s not difficult to change [formation] because the quality in this team is really high and we adapt in every case.”
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