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#3 Manchester City's Phil Foden proves himself to be a worthy heir to David Silva
A huge reason for Manchester City’s domestic dominance in recent times was David Silva, with the diminutive Spaniard lighting up the club with some dazzling displays for a decade during his time in Manchester.
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So influential was the Spanish midfielder that he commanded a place in Pep Guardiola’s first-choice starting-eleven well into his final season at the Etihad Stadium, largely restricting Foden to sporadic appearances off the bench.
Despite the limited game-time, Foden displayed enough quality during his time on the pitch to ensure that Manchester City’s midfield was in safe hands.
And now, with Silva having returned to La Liga to wind down his successful career, the young Englishman has stepped up to fill his sizeable boots at Manchester City.
This Champions League tie against Porto served as yet another reminder of Foden’s huge talent and ability, as the 20-year-old was Manchester City’s most influential player, pulling the strings from midfield with a maturity well beyond his years.
A number of pin-point passes from the deep were coupled with several intelligent runs in behind the Porto defence as Foden tried to help his side break the deadlock in a manner that was quite reminiscent of Silva and his preferred style of play.
Having recently broken into the senior England side and with increased responsibilities for Manchester City as well, the stage seems set for Foden to showcase the full extent of his talent and lead both England and Manchester City to success in the years to come.
#4 Agustin Marchesin shines in goal for Porto
Agustin Marchesin’s bow in European football came extremely late in his career. He joined Porto in 2019 as a 31-year-old after spending several years playing in his native Argentina as well as in the Liga MX in Mexico.
Brought in to take over from the even more experienced Iker Casillas, Marchesin has proved himself to be capable of handling the spotlight in Europe’s biggest stage. He put in a Man-of-the-Match display against Manchester City on Tuesday to help his side progress to the Round of 16.
Having had little work to do in the first half, Marchesin was called into action on several occasions in the second and answered the call with great aplomb on each occasion, keeping his side in the game with a series of excellent saves.
A save from point-blank range denied Sterling in a one-on-one situation in the 58th minute before a superb reflex save kept Ferran Torres’ acrobatic effort from going in ten minutes later.
Marchesin saved his best for the end, though. A superb diving effort kept out Eric Garcia’s powerful header in the 80th minute, with the ball seemingly destined for the back of the net but for a strong hand from the veteran keeper.
#5 The fate of Group C is sealed before Matchday 6
While Manchester City needed just a point against Porto to confirm their status as Group C winners, Porto also needed at least a draw against City or for Olympiacos to fail to beat Marseille in the other fixture in the group to secure progression.
As it turned out, the Portuguese side were able to tick both boxes, claiming the necessary point against Manchester City even as Marseille ran out 2-1 winners against Olympiacos at the Stade Velodrome.
The French side, in the process, ended a woeful run of 13 straight defeats in the Champions League, the longest such consecutive losing streak in Champions League history.
As a result, Manchester City and Porto progressed from Group C into the next round of the Champions League, with City securing top spot.
All that remains to be decided on the final matchday in the group is which one of Marseille or Olympiacos will fall through to the Europa League when the Ligue 1 side face City and Porto take on Olympiacos.
