Aymeric Laporte exits fight after Man City Champions League exit

Defiant Aymeric Laporte has vowed not to hide after the defensive horror show that led to Manchester City’s exit from the Champions League.

The Spain defender spoke with his dearly assembled team and his boss Pep Guardiola vilified his inability to pass the quarter-finals again.

Laporte was fouled by Moussa Dembele before the Lyon substitute managed to beat the offside trap and scored his second 3-1 victory.

Laporte said: “To be clear: I will not hide, I am a footballer but a man above all, we all made mistakes in this game, and I also take my responsibility for the poor performance of the team this evening.

“But this decision is difficult to accept, especially in a crucial qualifier ET with the help of VAR.”

Laporte posted supporting footage for him in Rio Ferdinand and Gary Lineker’s BT Sport studio and added: “You can’t say @ rioferdy5 is a huge City fan, can you?”

Ferdinand said in his analysis: “If I’m on this ground, I think it’s a definite fault. It must be.

Lineker replied: “He’s the one who scored.”

Ferdinand added: “There is 100% contact. I don’t understand what they can’t call it. There will be people who cite conspiracy theories if they are City fans, but I think it’s a foul there and the man keeps scoring the goal as well.

After the contest, Guardiola refuses to seek excuses despite failing to pass the last eight of the competition.

He said: “I don’t want to talk about the circumstances [of Dembele’s first goal], it seems I’m complaining or making excuses. We went out. We did a lot of good things and in the end it was not enough.

“We made mistakes in both boxes at key moments and that’s why we came out. We scored a magnificent goal but unfortunately we missed another.

“You have to be perfect, you can’t make mistakes.”