When Manchester City had a chance to tie the score, their lucky number nine struck the crossbar. The Norwegian aimed his left-footed shot directly at the woodwork, hoping it would find the top corner. Sporting fans were thrilled to see him miss, and they were whistling to divert his attention.
Silva danced his way to the box as Manchester City teammates called for a handball over Sporting's Diamonde. However, the referee ignores their cries. But a minute afterwards, the referee indicated that VAR was looking into it. According to replays, Silva's shot within the box ricocheted off Diamonde's extended arm.
After a few minutes, Catamo rushed into the box from the left wing, and Matheus Nunes received a suspension for taking him down. Manchester City was in complete shock as Viktor Gyokeres accomplished his hat trick. After squeezing his right-footed drive past a diving Ederson before finding the bottom left corner, the Sporting striker scored his 23rd strike of the season.
“A bit of a better version of Haaland” : Rafael van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart, the former Dutch great, asserted that Viktor Gyokeres could be considered a "better version of Erling Haaland" prior to Sporting Lisbon's matchup with Manchester City. The Swedish forward has been praised by Dutch greats Van der Vaart and Van Basten, who even said that he is a "better version" of City's goal machine Erling Haaland.
Since the 2024–25 season began, the Sporting CP wonder has been in outstanding form, scoring 16 goals in 10 games across all competitions. Premier League powerhouses like Arsenal, Liverpool, as well as, of course, Manchester United, where his current boss Ruben Amorim is going to take Erik ten Hag's place later this month, have expressed interest in him.
The former Tottenham Hotspur superstar said, "It sounds a bit crazy, but I think he’s a bit of a better version of Haaland. Haaland is of course incredible, but Gyökeres has a bit more, or something."
The former Ajax forward added on this by saying that, "He’s a real footballer, I think. A real footballing striker. Strong, scores easily and is calm in front of goal. He is also able to pass the keeper, I think he’s a really good striker. I can enjoy him."
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