Manchester City supporters were notably displeased with one player during their 3-2 loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League first leg at the Etihad on Tuesday.
City took the lead with a clever finish from Erling Haaland at the 19-minute mark, which stood as the only goal of the first half in a tense match.
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Kylian Mbappé equalized on the hour with an impressive volley past City’s goalkeeper Ederson. ..Continue Reading
Twenty minutes later, City regained the lead when Phil Foden was fouled by Dani Ceballos in the penalty area.
Haaland, 24, confidently converted the penalty to give City a 2-1 advantage.
It seemed the Premier League side would secure the win until, true to their form, Real Madrid responded with a goal from Brahim Diaz in the 86th minute.
Pep Guardiola was in disbelief during stoppage time when Jude Bellingham connected with Vinicius Jr’s lob over the advancing Ederson, allowing the England international to score from close range.
Throughout the match, City fans pointed out one player who they believed underperformed and contributed to Madrid’s winning goal.
Rico Lewis came on at half-time for Manuel Akanji, who was dealing with a knock and did not return for the second half.
Lewis, 20, failed to clear a bouncing ball, allowing Vini Jr to run toward the goal, leading up to Real Madrid’s third goal.
Fans on social media were quick to share their opinions on Lewis’s performance.
One said: “Rico Lewis, I swear, they will never ever convince me that you’re good.”
Another added: “Rico Lewis is not good enough for the Prem. Loan him to the Championship.”
A third explained: “Why put on Rico Lewis on when Khusanov is a much better defender and offers more pace. Another Pep disaster-class!”
While a fourth commented: “The game was lost when Guardiola decided to bring on Rico Lewis to defend against Vinicius Jr instead of Khusanov.”
And a fifth claimed: “Honestly Rico Lewis I don’t see it.”
A sixth slammed: “Rico Lewis is not Manchester City standard let’s be real.”
