Manchester City began Enzo Maresca’s first Champions League campaign as head coach with a 2-0 win away at Porto, but the away side survived two significant refereeing let-offs, according to the beaten hosts’ manager.
Erling Haaland struck in the second-half at the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday night, opening the scoring shortly after the interval before adding a second late on to wrap up all three points in City’s opening League Phase fixture of the 2026-27 Champions League.
It was a winning start for Maresca in Europe since replacing Pep Guardiola in the summer, though the manner of the victory did not go unnoticed by his opposite number.
Farioli points to two key moments
Porto boss Francesco Farioli believes his side should have had a numerical advantage for large parts of the second half after incidents involving Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol went unpunished by the officials.
Speaking to Prime Video after the match, Farioli was direct in his assessment when asked whether City had been fortunate to still have 11 men on the pitch at the interval.
“Yeah, I think so from the matches that I saw, I believe a card could have been given. Of course, in that moment, it is a red,” Farioli said, according to Manchester Evening News.
“And as well, there was a moment with Gvardiol when he stopped an action after already being with a yellow card, it could have been a second one.
“At this level, at this stage, the opportunity to play the second half against ten men, or even nine at some point, it could have changed things.”
Both incidents came under scrutiny during the first half, with the officials opting against showing red to either defender despite Farioli’s belief that the laws of the game had been broken.
Had either decision gone against City, Maresca’s side would have faced a significant chunk of the match with a numerical disadvantage against a Porto team that arrived at the Estadio do Dragao unbeaten in the Primeira Liga this season.
Respect for City despite frustration
Despite his frustration with the officiating, Farioli was quick to praise City and turn his attention to Porto’s next assignment.
His side travel to Lisbon at the weekend for a domestic fixture and he was keen to stress that his players must move on swiftly regardless of the result against the Premier League giants.
“But again, a lot of respect for the team that we play against. For us, we need to switch off really fast. A great performance tonight but now, in the weekend, we are going to have a very tough match in Lisbon, and you have to be ready for that,” he added.
Haaland’s double takes his tally for the season into double figures and continues his prolific record in continental competition, a run that has become a hallmark of City’s approach in front of goal regardless of who is in the dugout.
Maresca will be encouraged by the professionalism his side showed in seeing out a contest that could easily have swung on the marginal decisions Farioli referenced.
City have made a strong start domestically too, and a win away in Porto — a venue where the club has historically found few easy nights — will do little to dent the growing confidence around Maresca’s early tenure.
