Manchester City swept aside Sparta Praha last night in their third Champions League outing – and it was a very good evening indeed for Matheus Nunes.
Manchester City ran out 5-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland stealing headlines for his incredible acrobatic effort.
The Norwegian produced a moment of utter brilliance to put City 2-0 up after Phil Foden had opened the scoring.
John Stones also continued his goalscoring run and after Haaland got his second, Matheus Nunes capped off the evening by scoring a penalty.
Nunes enjoyed arguably his best game yet for Manchester City, operating mostly from the left wing but drifting inside from time to time.
Nunes has struggled for starts since his transfer from Wolves, but this could now be his breakthrough.
After last night’s game, a number of players sent messages to Nunes after his fantastic performance against Sparta.
Man City stars send messages to Matheus Nunes after Sparta Praha win
The Sparta game was a big audition for Nunes, because we have seen how Ilkay Gundogan has not really hit top form yet.
But he ended up operating wide on the left mostly, and Nunes had a bit of a field day.
The star was able to use his pace and dribbling often and also put the ball in the box a number of times.
He finished the game with two assists to his name for Stones and Haaland, and also dispatched his penalty with great confidence.
After the game, Nunes took to social media, writing: “Happy to score my first goal in the @championsleague ✨ Thank you Citizens for your support 🫶🏽🩵.”
A number of his teammates responded to Nunes:
Jack Grealish: ‘Ohhhhh matheussssss nunessssssss 😍’
Oscar Bobb: ‘Wowww🔥😍’
Savinho: ‘I’m your fan bro 💙⚡️’
A great night for Nunes
- Who is Matheus Nunes? Get to know the midfielder
It was great to see Nunes really taking centre stage last night for City in the Champions League.
It has been a tricky time for him so far at the club regarding playing regularly, but this might just be his catalyst now.
City have injuries mounting up, and Nunes has clearly shown he can be effective in this side, which lacks dynamism in midfield when he doesn’t play.
| Matheus Nunes vs Sparta Praha |
| Minutes played – 90 |
| Goals – 1 |
| Assists – 2 |
| Pass completion rate – 95% (61/64) |
| Touches – 89 |
| Duels/won – 12/8 |
| Dribbles/completed – 3/3 |
He was terrific against Sparta and the goal for him now must be to establish himself in the start XI.
He looked more confident last night than ever in a City shirt, and it would be great to see this be the turning point for him now.
Much sterner tests lie in wait, so it would be great to see Nunes take a game by the scruff of the neck against a strong opponent.
