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Security staff were forced to intervene during Manchester City’s feisty 2-0 win in their UEFA Champions League opener, as Porto head coach Francesco Farioli felt the Premier League giants were fortunate not to be shown two red cards.
Erling Haaland’s double guided City to victory away to Portuguese champions Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday (AEST).
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A half-time tunnel bust-up required security staff to step in following an on-field clash between City defender Marc Guehi and Porto’s Gabri Veiga, who was left bloodied on the floor after being caught with an elbow while challenging for the ball in the first half.
Guehi escaped punishment from referee Szymon Marciniak, with one fan on social media writing: “Guehi has gotten away with murder there.”
Guéhi atinge Gabri Veiga na face e escapa impune.#DAZNChampions pic.twitter.com/TGa5E9QOzh
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) September 8, 2026
In the second half, City star Josko Gvardiol was swiftly replaced to avoid a second yellow card as tempers flared in Portugal.
“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 told Amazon Prime when asked if City were fortunate not to be reduced to nine men.
“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.
“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.”
On the tunnel bust-up as players clashed following the half-time whistle, Amazon Prime reporter Gabriel Clarke: “That anger triggered by the Veiga-Guehi incident, the pushing and the shoving, the bad-tempered behaviour, continued down the tunnel as the players came off for half-time.
“Security for both teams were involved separating the backroom staff and players from both sides as they entered the mouth of the tunnel.
“Gabi Veiga himself had to be pulled away, to an extent, by one of the Porto staff. He was, obviously, among the most animated.
“A lot of shoving, a lot of venting. We’ll see if it’s in the referee’s report, and we’ll see if it continues in terms of that sort of behaviour by both sides into the second half, hopefully not.”