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And their bad fortune wasn’t letting up in the early stages of their quest for some form of silverware in 2024/25, with their Premier League title defence all but over already, their Champions League quest patchy and no shot at the Carabao Cup.
Their last-32 tie at League One side Leyton Orient started badly enough for the favourites when Tottenham loanee Jamie Donley scored one of the greatest goals in recent FA Cup history, perhaps of all time, to put the underdogs 1-0 up early on.
Then, £50 million signing from Porto Nico Gonzalez had to withdraw from the match early due in part to a clash in the build-up to that goal.
MORE: How Nico Gonzalez’s move to Man City benefitted Barcelona
The midfielder collided with Orient’s Sonny Perkins in the buildup to the goal, and no free-kick was awarded before Donley’s 40-yarder sailed in via the crossbar in an incredible moment.
Gonzalez was replaced by Bernardo Silva in what could be another huge setback for Guardiola, whether City can turn the game around in time or not.
At publish time, the score remained 1-0 to the third-tier hosts at halftime. We’ll update how things finished at the final whistle.
“This is a shame. Nico Gonzalez was brought in to add a bit of a clout in that Manchester City midfield,” pundit Chris Sutton said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It will be interesting to see how they will set up now and whether Bernardo Silva is going to be that deep-lying playmaker”.
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