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‘Pepe almost killed Sterling’: Veteran Porto defender shows his slump is as strong as ever as it appears to KNEE Manchester star during heated Champions League clash
- Raheem Sterling was looking for a penalty at the end of Pepe’s challenge
- The Manchester City winger had previously won a penalty after a foul by the defender
- But Pepe reacted angrily this time and seemed to kneel beside Sterling
- Online users were surprised that the Porto captain was not sent off with the VAR at stake
- REPORT: Manchester City come back to win the first match of the Champions League
Raheem Sterling was hit by the knee of veteran Porto defender Pepe during a Champions League match at the Etihad on Wednesday night.
The visitors took the lead early on with a brilliant individual goal from Luis Díaz, but a Sergio Agüero penalty shortly after and goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres after the break ensured a 3-1 victory for Pep Guardiola’s.
But it was deep in the second half that Pepe’s frustrations boiled over after Sterling fell softly for a penalty, when the 37-year-old yelled at the England international before dragging his knee into Sterling’s side. .
Pepe del Porto yelled at Raheem Sterling after the Man City winger fell under his challenge
The 37-year-old defender then dragged his knee to Sterling’s side, but was not punished.
However, despite the VAR being in place for the Champions League, no action was taken against Porto’s patron.
Sterling had previously won the penalty converted by Agüero, after Pepe challenged him in the 20th minute.
Social media users were generally surprised that Pepe, known for his losing streak after his 10-year stint at Real Madrid, did not receive a red card after the latest incident.
One user said, ‘How come Pepe hasn’t been kicked out for that knee on Sterling?’ While another similarly said, ‘How does Pepe get away with that assault on Sterling?’
Pepe and Sterling met several times in a wrestling match at the Etihad Stadium
Another added: ‘Why don’t they expel Pepe for that by the way (sic)?
“A knee to the body is much more painful and dangerous than stroking someone’s face, which causes you to be expelled now.”
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola later confirmed that City captain Fernandinho would be out for 4-6 weeks after suffering an injury in Wednesday’s game.
Fernandinho joins Manchester City’s growing injured list by limping against Porto
“It’s bad news with Fernandinho,” Guardiola said. “He has a leg problem, he could be out for four or six weeks.
“We have players who come back and now we lose others. In three days we go to London, then three days it is Marseille and then three days it is Sheffield United.
‘The calendar is very demanding and we need all the players. It is a short recovery. We did the perfect performance in the second half tonight. Porto are a really good team. It’s good to win games by suffering. ”
