Ayyoub Bouaddi Shines in Porto and Earns Team Praise

Manchester City defeated Portuguese side Porto 2-0 in an away match in the Champions League. During the clash at the Estádio do Dragão, the team's young midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi caught everyone's attention with his confident performance, earning praise from the head coach and senior players after the match. This is reported by Goal.com reports .

According to GOAL.com, this match was the first starting XI test for the 18-year-old player. Despite this, he remained extremely composed in the center of the pitch, justifying his teammates' trust. During the match, Bouaddi completed 54 out of 55 passes and made 7 ball recoveries to thwart opponent attacks. The young talent was substituted in the 76th minute for Mateo Kovačić.

Coach and leaders' assessment

Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Manchester City head coach highlighted the team's determination in a difficult European away game. The Italian manager did not hide his satisfaction that enough opportunities were created and the opponent was given few chances.

Mauricio Pochettino believes that every member of the team is of a high level, which allows him to rotate the squad and give every player an opportunity. The coach also specifically noted that the young player did not panic under pressure.

According to the specialist, while experienced players like Erling Haaland, Rúben Dias, and Mateo Kovačić were expected to control such games, Ayyoub Bouaddi's composure on the big stage for the first time was completely unexpected and impressive.

Haaland's humorous admission

The team's lead striker Erling Haaland also highly rated his young teammate's potential. He noted that with his actions in training over the last few weeks, Bouaddi has shown that he is a real gem.

At the same time, the Norwegian striker jokingly mentioned that he was a bit upset that the young midfielder did not pass him the ball in one of the situations in the second half. Haaland added that the young player had a great game, with that episode being the only exception.

This victory was the fourth consecutive win for Manchester City across all competitions this season. Now, the team faces an uncompromising derby in the Premier League against local rivals Manchester United. After a confident performance in Porto, the likelihood of Ayyoub Bouaddi securing a spot in the starting lineup for upcoming matches has increased significantly.