Lapport: VAR decision ‘hard to accept’
● Controversial Champions League exit unpalatable to City defender
Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte admits crashing out of the Champions League after yet more VAR controversy is tough to take.
City suffered at the hands of the officials for a second successive year in the competition as they were beaten 3-1 by Lyon in their quarter-final in Lisbon on Saturday.
Last season VAR contentiously awarded Tottenham a goal and disallowed a potential City winner in another lasteight exit.
This time neither referee Danny Makkelie nor VAR saw reason to disallow a crucial Moussa Dembele strike 11 minutes from time at the Jose Alvalade Stadium despite a possible foul on Laporte in the build-up.
Laporte tweeted: “Just to be clear: I will not hide, I’m a football player but a man foremost, we all made mistakes in this game, and I also take my responsibility for the bad team performance.
“But this decision is hard to accept, especially in a crucial qualifier AND with the help of VAR.”
Adding to the controversy, Dembele had also been in an offside position earlier in the move.
The goal put Lyon back ahead against the run of play, with City having threatened to take command after Kevin De Bruyne had cancelled out Maxwel Cornet’s early strike in the 69th minute.
They could still have taken the tie to extra time but Raheem Sterling remarkably missed an open goal from five yards after being set up by Gabriel Jesus on 86 minutes.
Dembele, who had only come off the bench on 75 minutes, then ensured Lyon would complete the semi-final lineup at the mini-tournament in Portugal by pouncing late on after Ederson spilled a Houssem Aouar shot.
The defeat marked yet more Champions League frustration for City and their manager Pep Guardiola.
In nine successive appearances in the competition, City’s best showing remains the semi-final they reached under Manuel Pellegrini in 2016. With Guardiola in charge City have gone out in the last 16 in 2017 and at the quarterfinals for the last three years.
It remains a puzzle why City cannot transfer their domestic dominance of recent years on to the European stage but De Bruyne said: “This team is great but we make too many mistakes.”
Questions will certainly be asked of Guardiola, who after masterminding a stunning defeat of Spanish champions Real Madrid, switched to a three-man defence to try to counter the side who finished seventh in Ligue 1 and will have to win the tournament to get back in next season.
The resulting disjointed performance allowed an organised Lyon side to soak up pressure and hit on the break with the pace of Cornet and Aouar.
Guardiola, pictured, insisted City would regroup for another attempt next season.
He said: “We will recover, we will restart it again and try to do it again. I think with what these guys have done we deserve to do it again, or to go through and reach the semifinals. Life is how you stand up again and next season we’re going to try again.”
Midfielder Fernandinho added on Twitter: “Disappointing and painful night in Lisbon. Life sometimes can be cruel, and football isn’t different.
“But now is time to get little rest and get ready for the next season. And it will be very different.”
Lyon coach Rudi Garcia said: “We won the tactical battle as we master our system of play.”
Garcia’s last trophies were a French league and cup double when he was in charge of Lille in 2011. He earned praise from Lyon sporting director Juninho, who said: “Rudi Garcia has left his mark, has instilled discipline
“We grew up. Now we need a little humility, a little calm.”
Corbet said: “Fortune smiled on me again against them.
The 23-year-old Ivorian forward also scored three goals against City in two group stage games last season.
But he added: “It’s not down to luck
“We worked really hard in training before returning to competitive football.”