Twenty shots to five and none on target against them: Manchester City were wasteful in Porto, and Haaland fixed it two minutes after the break.
The numbers
| Manchester City | FC Porto | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 64% | 36% |
| Shots | 20 | 5 |
| On target | 10 | 0 |
| xG | 2.32 | 0.28 |
| Corners | 5 | 2 |
| Offsides | 1 | 7 |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester City 84% / 13% / FC Porto 3% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma, Nunes, Guéhi, Dias, Gvardiol, Bouaddi, Fernández, Foden, Cherki, Semenyo, Haaland.
FC Porto (4-3-3): Diogo Costa, Alberto Costa, Pérez, Kiwior, Martim Fernandes, Varela, Rosario, Veiga, William Gomes, André Silva, Pepê.
Porto subs: Hwang (62', Varela), Sainz (68', William Gomes), Giménez (68', André Silva), Moura (73', Martim Fernandes), Fofana (83', Veiga). Porto coach: Francesco Farioli. Yellow cards: Gvardiol (37'), Donnarumma (49'), Haaland and Rosario (90+3'). Minutes from FotMob; other outlets give City's last two changes at 70' or 76'. Most reports put Foden on the right and Semenyo on the left; a few swap them. Porto's xG is 0.28 on FotMob and 0.22 on Opta's own site.
Key moments, move by move
- Foden picks the ball up on the right and drives through the middle while FC Porto's back line backs off.
- He gives it to Semenyo, who slips Cherki in behind on the left.
- Cherki keeps the ball alive near the byline and finds Enzo Fernández.
- Fernández chips a cross into the box. Haaland barges Kiwior aside and heads it in off the post.
- Two substitutes combine on the left: Kovačić helps work the ball to Aït-Nouri.
- Aït-Nouri gets past his man and reaches the byline.
- He cuts it back, and Haaland finishes first time with his right foot into the bottom corner.
A calm double pivot, and the chances came from the flanks
- Two holding midfielders against the press. FC Porto pressed hard early. Bouaddi and Fernández sat side by side in front of Guéhi and Dias. On his first start Bouaddi, 18, completed 98% of his passes (SI) and won the ball back seven times (Opta).
- The chances came from wide. Nunes reached the byline for the low cross that Diogo Costa saved twice in the 32nd minute (from Haaland, then Cherki). Crosses from Foden and Semenyo produced Haaland's first-half headers. City had 29 touches in Porto's box to 8 (FotMob).
- A line that kept catching Porto. Porto were flagged offside seven times, more than in their previous seven European games combined (Opta). One of those flags saved City at 49', when Donnarumma clattered Pepê in the box.
- Loose after the goal. Gvardiol, booked and harried by William Gomes, went off at 48'. Donnarumma was nearly caught on the ball by Gomes at 66'. Porto still finished with 0.28 xG and no shot on target.
Recreate it in FM26
City's double pivot and byline crosses in Porto
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Donnarumma | Sweeper Keeper | Sweeper Keeper |
| RB | Nunes | Full-Back | Pressing Full-Back |
| RCB | Guéhi | Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LCB | Dias | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LB | Gvardiol | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| RDM | Bouaddi | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| LDM | Fernández | Box-to-Box Playmaker | Defensive Midfielder |
| RW | Foden | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| AM | Cherki | Advanced Playmaker | Attacking Midfielder |
| LW | Semenyo | Winger | Winger |
| ST | Haaland | Poacher | Centre Forward |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Build-Up StrategyPlay Through Press
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- Attacking WidthWider
- Pass ReceptionOverlapped
- PatienceWork Ball Into Box
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Defensive LineHigher
- Defensive Line BehaviourOffside Trap
- Trigger PressMore Often
The idea: Two composed passers in the double pivot let the side play through a high press, then the ball goes wide for crosses to a Poacher. You need a press-resistant Deep-Lying Playmaker, a full-back who reaches the byline, and a striker who wins headers.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce Porto's seven offsides or Diogo Costa's first-half saves, so expect the same pressure to bring goals sooner.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Aït-Nouri on at 48' (for Gvardiol), Ndiaye on at 46' (for Semenyo). Keep the shape and the press, which held Porto to five shots and nothing on target. Change the left side sooner: Ndiaye at half-time and Aït-Nouri for the booked Gvardiol, to turn the first-half pressure into goals earlier. It moves Manchester City's win chance from 84% to 86% (xG 2.32–0.28 becomes 2.47–0.28). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester City needed
Rayan Aït-Nouri
City's left side was their weak spot: Gvardiol was booked, struggled with William Gomes and went off at 48', and Semenyo was erratic in front of him. Aït-Nouri, the natural left-back, came on only at 75' and made the second goal by running to the byline and cutting it back. With him from the start, City get an overlapping outlet on that side for the whole game.
Nuno Mendes
City's chances came from the flanks, and the left produced least until Aït-Nouri arrived. Mendes beats a winger like William Gomes one-on-one, carries the ball out of a press, and gets to the byline for cutbacks like the one Haaland scored from in stoppage time.
What the analysts said
“We could have scored more goals, especially in the first half.”Enzo Maresca
“Honestly we controlled the whole first half.”Erling Haaland
“These are the games we have to win.”Erling Haaland
“I don't know how many teams will play this way against Manchester City.”Francesco Farioli (translated from Portuguese)
Porto never had a shot on target. The 2–0 hides how loose City got after scoring.
The numbers are one-sided: 2.32 xG to 0.28, 20 shots to 5 and 10 on target to none (FotMob, City's match centre). FC Porto came into the game unbeaten in 33 home matches. Manchester City only failed to lead at half-time because they wasted their chances and Diogo Costa made save after save, from Haaland at 21', and from Haaland and then Cherki at 32'.
The goal that broke Porto shows what Maresca wants from this attack. Foden came in off the right, Semenyo released Cherki behind the full-back, and Fernández chipped the cross for Haaland. In one move three players swapped lanes. Behind them Bouaddi and Fernández gave City a calm base against the press. Sky's headline still said City "fail to impress".
That criticism is fair for the 45 minutes after the opener. Donnarumma charged into Pepê in the box at 49' and was saved only by an offside flag. At 66' his clearance was charged down by William Gomes and the ball ran wide. Porto's 0.28 xG hides two moments that could have been 1–1.