The 23-year-old Portugal defender demurred when asked if he had designs on the armband, but expressed confidence he could handle the pressure of performing on Europe's biggest stage with City. pic.twitter.com/p0qhIvJis9. Ping! Job done for City after an early scare. Sergio Conceição's side won the club's eighth domestic double in 2019-20, claiming Porto's 29th league title and a 17th Portuguese Cup. Turns out that the long-range Rodri shot was saved by Marchesin onto the post. The Spain international wants to leave for Barcelona, was dismayed a deadline day move failed to transpire and has looked very much like a man whose mind is elsewhere in recent months yet still he tends to keep getting the nod over John Stones. Guardiola spoke earlier in the week about how he does not believe Manchester City have a mental block in the Champions League as the club begin their 10th consecutive appearance in the competition just over two months since slumping to a dismal 3-1 quarter-final defeat to Lyon in Lisbon. Man City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Garcia, Cancelo, Gundogan, Rodrigo, Mahrez, Bernardo, Sterling (c), Aguero Subs: Steffen, Carson, Stones, Zinchenko, Torres, Fernandinho, Foden, Nmecha, Doyle, Harwood-Bellis, Palmer, Bernabe, Here's your City line-up! “I know he wanted to leave but maybe we can seduce him to extend with us,” Guardiola said. Having got away from Kyle Walker, the Porto winger accelerated around Rodri in the D too easily before Joao Cancelo mounted the least resistance of all, the flat-footed Portuguese halfheartedly sticking out a leg, before the Colombian fired across Ederson into the bottom corner.
"It's incredible to be in this competition," Guardiola said. Nanu owes him one.
Guardiola’s indulgence of Garcia is a funny one. “If I’m being honest we are struggling at the moment,” the Germany midfielder said.
Mahrez has another go down the left, advancing into the Porto area and showing off his tricks, but Sarr stands firm. Porto include Chelsea's on-loan defender Malang Sarr alongside the veteran Pepe, while Liverpool's Marko Grujic and West Ham's Felipe Anderson make the bench. Find out more, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Three minutes of added time!? But that does not stop City advancing forward again.
Diaz whips a cross into the City box but there's no one on the end of it for Porto. City’s response was immediate, with Aguero scoring from the penalty spot after Pepe barged over Sterling moments after Gundogan had hit a post.
Notwithstanding the fact he's conceded three goals, the Porto keeper has had a good game. City were crying out for a spark and Gundogan finally provided it when he stroked home a free-kick after being fouled by Fabio Vieira just outside the penalty area.
A former Barcelona coach, Guardiola, will have seen this all before from Pepe, who was equally fortunate not to concede a second penalty, and draw a red card, late on after tripping Sterling and then thrusting a leg into his side after having the temerity to accuse the England forward of play-acting. Sergio Conceicao, the Porto coach, did not shake Guardiola’s hand at the end but that will not concern the Catalan too much. Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Aymeric Laporte and Benjamin Mendy are sidelined for City through injury but full-back Oleksandr Zinchenko has recovered from a muscle problem. Foden catches Vieira on the ankle and he goes down in some pain, but no free-kick, bizarrely. Nanu gets in a tangle in midfield and City smell blood. He was outside of the box but he did have a bit of time and space. It's atrocious again from City at the back. They're just running down the clock, waiting for the half-time break. Marchesin got a hand to it, but it had too much power and he couldn't keep it out. There's only one way to find out... A City corner is headed away by Pepe, before Mahrez and Bernardo Silva combine intricately. Aguero is hauled down by Pepe and it's a stonewall free-kick that is waved away by the Latvian referee. For Porto: Nanu on for Corona, Taremi for Vieira and Nakajima for Sanusi.
⚽ Onze inicial / Starting Eleven / Alineación: Marchesín, Tecatito, Mbemba, Pepe, Sarr, Zaidu, Sérgio Oliveira, Uribe, Fábio Vieira, Luis Díaz e Marega#FCPorto #MCFCFCP #UCL pic.twitter.com/piKV4JJXyU. Mbempa does well to cut out a pass that Torres is chasing and as Porto start to counter Rodri pulls Vieira back, but the City man escapes a yellow card. Diaz gets in behind Walker but he bites off more than he can chew, trying to waltz in and out of too many defenders, and ultimately gets dispossessed. This is the 10th straight season in which City have qualified for the Champions League, after what was their third successive exit at the last-eight stage - having previously being knocked out by Liverpool and Tottenham - under manager Pep Guardiola. A triple-change upcoming for Porto, as they desperately look to claw their way back into this. Diaz has a long-range pop from a Porto corner, but it was nearer a throw-in than finding the match's opening goal. After conceding five goals in their first home game of the season against Leicester and being stretched by Leeds, Man City secured a much-needed and narrow victory against Arsenal. Sterling finds some space down the left but he runs straight into Mbemba, who stands his ground emphatically to dispossess the City skipper. "I had pressure when I was young," he said. It's all good.
pic.twitter.com/blSZFmFCi5. Who wins?
A great run by Sterling, and a nifty pass from Cancelo to boot, almost sees the City captain in on goal but Marchesín dashes off his line to snuff out any danger.
City immediately take control of possession to open the half, but that attacking spark does still seem to be lacking. Diaz's wonderfully opportunistic solo goal gave Porto an early lead, but it was short-lived after Aguero's penalty got the home side back level. No stopping that. It is part of football.
It's Diaz, of course it is.
That was a chance, heavily, heavily wasted. It's fabulous, but question marks will be asked about City's defending. City go on the offensive from the off, controlling the ball patiently, with particular success down the flanks. Walker has just single-handedly prevented Porto from taking the lead (again). They were leading at one stage, remember - albeit briefly. I got pressure when I went to the national team and I have pressure now. Porto work hard to get back in numbers, however, and City are forced to play the ball all the way back to Ederson.
Looks like a 4-3-3 then for the home side. Man City are without the injured Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus, and their lack of a No.
Gundogan’s goal was just about his last contribution before he and Aguero made way for Foden and Torres, who combined well on the left before the Spain winger sidestepped Pepe with ease and curled a shot into the far corner to make it 3-1. Porto have lost three of their last four matches in the Champions League proper but are unbeaten in nine games in the competition's group stage (W7 D2), winning their last four. But the late injury for Fernandinho slightly tarnishes an otherwise successful night for Pep's side.
"I had pressure when I got to Benfica's first team.
Vieira puts Walker under pressure but the England right-back's pace gets him out of trouble.
City will begin their Group C fixtures looking to immediately bounce back from their dismal 3-1 quarter-final defeat to Lyon in the 2019-20 tournament, ending any lingering hopes of adding to their trophy cabinet in 2020.
He weaves his way through the City defence, ending up on the right-hand side of the City penalty area, before cracking a shot back across goal and beating Ederson at the far post. You've got to be kidding - it should be at least five with the penalty, Var, and the injuries. Walker speeds down the right and blasts a ball into the box that beats everyone except for Aguero.
Behind to a fine run and finish from Luis Diaz, who had capitalised on familiar lapses at the back from City, the hosts equalised through Sergio Aguero’s penalty after Pepe - who else? Ederson passes the ball straight to Uribe who has acres of space and bags of time on the edge of the box, but decides to clatter into it first time and spoons it miles over the bar.
Manchester City scores, results and fixtures on BBC Sport, including live football scores, goals and goal scorers. I am not 100 per cent there because I had Covid. We are not all at the same moment.”. Sterling charges forward after winning the ball before feeding Mahrez on the right, but Marchesin gets out well to close down the Algerian and put in a good save. Mahrez tries to find Aguero in the box but Mbemba's intervenes perfectly.
City are unbeaten in eight home European matches (W7 D1) since the 2-1 loss to Lyon on Matchday 1 in 2018-19. A one-two between him and Foden - both newly introduced to the fray - sees him pick up the ball in the box, before firing a crackerjack of a shot into the top-right corner of the Porto net.
Hello and welcome to Telegraph Sport's live coverage as Manchester City kick off their Champions League campaign at home to Porto. What an excellent individual goal from Luis Díaz! And we should be underway shortly (after the 75 repeats of the Champions League theme). And another yellow card for City, this time for Cancelo as he bundles into the back of Marega, catching him with his elbow. You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation.
Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images 16d ESPN Pepe and Sterling have a bit of a set-to off the ball - it's unclear what causes it - before Rodri unleashes a long-range bolt that flies into Marchesin's post and out for a goal kick. There's a chance that Gundogan might have fouled Marchesin as the goalkeeper was on the floor and Gundogan had a shot that hit the post. and Guardiola admitted on Tuesday he "still feels responsible" for the disappointment it caused. There's much remonstrating going on down on the sidelines from both managers here. City are up and running in the Champions League and their manager will hope this, their 10th successive season in the competition, will be the one when the waiting finally ends. Corona gets caught in possession by Cancelo deep in Porto territory but Mbemba gets back to save the day.
Pepe would later try to win a penalty of his own when the former Real Madrid defender channeled his inner Greg Louganis by attempting an acrobatic dive after a nudge from Cancelo but fortunately, on this occasion, Treimanis was not duped. Ilkay Gundogan eventually put City in front with a lovely free-kick on his first start since returning from a bad bout of coronavirus, before substitutes Ferran Torres and Phil Foden combined for the former to put a little gloss on the scoreline.
Mahrez and Gundogan are both standing over the ball, but it's the German midfielder who takes charge. An emphatic win tonight would do them the world of good. Marega has a pop from distance but it was always sailing way over the bar. An Aguero penalty, a Gundogan free-kick, and a sharp Torres finish cancel out Diaz's outstanding solo opener for Porto.