In a match that could have gone either way, a solitary Sporting Lisbon goal was sufficient to sneak a 1-0 victory against Premier League giants Manchester City in the Europa league round of sixteen first leg clash between the two sides on Thursday.
City, who are still the favourites to make it to the next round, had a very frustrating night against the well disciplined Portuguese club, who managed to score the only goal of the game through Brazilian centre-back Xandao at the 51<sup>st minute.
It could have been a worse night for City, who managed to get eight shots on target, if it had not been for goalkeeper Joe Hart, who produced a string of excellent saves to keep his team in the competition.
This goes on to show that City, in spite of having a very strong side, still need to improve and work on their team chemistry, if they want to win European cup ties.
Roberto Mancini's men have some ground to make in the second leg of this fixture, which is due to be played on 15 March at the Etihad Stadium.
Check out these pictures capturing the best moments in the match:
Also check out this video for the highlights of the match:
Sporting's Anderson Polga fights for the ball with Manchester City's Edin Dzeko during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Insua jumps for the ball with Manchester City's Silva during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersManchester City's Mario Balotelli centers the ball near Sporting's Renato Neto during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Carrillo fights for the ball with Manchester City's Milner and Nasri during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersSporting players celebrate Xandao goal against Manchester City on their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Insua fights for the ball with Manchester City's Silva during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Diego Capel fights for the ball with Manchester City's Gareth Barry during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Emiliano Insua jumps for the ball with Manchester City's David Silva during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match at Alvalade stadium in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Capel fights for the ball with Manchester City's Gael Clichy during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.ReutersSporting's Schaars fights for the ball with Manchester City's Milner during their Europa League first leg round of 16 soccer match in Lisbon.Reuters
