Haaland's penalty miss; ManCity fall at home to Sporting Lisbon

The Citizens' Champions League hopes lie in the balance

Manchester City has suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat to Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16, despite Erling Haaland winning and missing a crucial penalty.

City, the pre-match favourites, dominated possession and chances but were made to pay for their profligacy. Haaland, who has scored 32 goals in all competitions this season, saw his penalty saved by Antonio Adan in the 55th minute.

The hosts continued to push for a goal, but they were unable to find a way past a resilient Sporting defence. The Portuguese side took the lead against the run of play when Pedro Gonçalves scored a superb goal in the 70th minute.

Haaland's penalty miss

Haaland's penalty miss was a key moment in the match. The Norwegian striker has been in excellent form this season, but he uncharacteristically saw his spot-kick saved. Adan made a good stop, but Haaland will be disappointed that he did not convert the chance.

The miss gave Sporting a lifeline, and they took full advantage. Gonçalves' strike was a moment of brilliance, and it gave the visitors a famous win. City will now need to overturn the deficit in the second leg in Lisbon.

Sporting's defensive resilience

Sporting deserve credit for their defensive resilience and smart tactics. The Portuguese side were under pressure for long periods, and they were forced to defend deep and compactly.

Despite ManCity's attacking prowess, Sporting managed to limit them to few clear-cut chances. City had 20 shots, but only five of those were on target. Sporting, on the other hand, had just four shots, but they made the most of their chances.

Sporting's victory was a deserved one, and it has given them a great chance of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Pep Guardiola's reaction

Pep Guardiola was disappointed with City's performance. The Catalan coach said, 'We played well, but we didn't take our chances. We gave them a goal, and we weren't able to come back.' Guardiola also praised Sporting's performance, saying, 'They defended very well and made it difficult for us to create chances.'

City will now have to turn their attention to the second leg in Lisbon. The Citizens will need to score at least twice to progress to the quarter-finals. It will be a difficult task, but if they can find their scoring boots, they will be confident of getting the result they need.