Marc Guehi at the Center of Controversy in Manchester City vs Porto Clash
Marc Guehi found himself at the centre of a European storm on a volatile night in Portugal, as Manchester City’s Champions League clash with Porto boiled over on and off the pitch.
The England defender was accused by furious fans of having “got away with murder” after a brutal first-half collision left Porto midfielder Gabri Veiga bloodied on the turf – but without any punishment for the City man.
Elbow flashpoint ignites the tie
The incident came in the first half as Guehi, 26, rose to challenge for a high ball. As he leapt, his elbow swung and caught Veiga flush in the face. The Porto midfielder crumpled, immediately coming off far worse in the duel.
Veiga lay on the pitch, blood covering his face as medical staff rushed on. City regrouped. Porto players raged. The home crowd demanded action.
Referee Szymon Marciniak, one of UEFA’s most trusted officials, saw it differently. No card. No free-kick upgrade. Play, eventually, would go on.
Social media did not.
“Marc Guehi absolutely clattered Gabri Veiga,” wrote one supporter, echoing the sense of injustice swirling around the stadium.
“Guehi has gotten away with murder there,” said another.
“Guehi getting away with murder. Never change Uefa,” added a third, frustration spilling into the familiar accusations about European officiating.
Another fan called it “a dangerous challenge”, while one more asked bluntly: “How is Guehi not getting a red card for this rash tackle?”
Veiga, after several minutes of treatment, was patched up and somehow able to continue, his presence on the pitch doing little to cool the mood.
Tempers explode at half-time
The anger didn’t stay with that one challenge. It followed the players all the way to the tunnel.
As the half-time whistle went, simmering resentment erupted. City players and staff clashed with their Porto counterparts as both sets of teams headed towards the tunnel, the argument quickly escalating into a full-scale confrontation.
Security staff from both clubs had to intervene, stepping between players and backroom teams as the shouting and pushing intensified at the mouth of the tunnel. Inside the stadium, reports claimed the tunnel itself could be seen “shaking” during the melee, a physical sign of just how heated the exchanges had become.
Amazon Prime reporter Gabriel Clarke, watching from close quarters, described how the fury from the Veiga–Guehi flashpoint simply rolled on into the break, with “pushing and shoving” and “bad-tempered behaviour” dragging the row off the pitch and into the bowels of the stadium.
Nevin backs Guehi – to a point
While many fans called for a red card, former Chelsea and Everton winger Pat Nevin took a more measured view of the challenge.
Speaking on the BBC, Nevin defended the basic mechanics of Guehi’s jump, insisting that a defender cannot simply remove his arm from the equation when contesting an aerial ball.
“Where do you put your arm?” he asked. “If you’re going for the header and someone is lower you can’t make your arm disappear.”
Nevin did concede there was one avenue for criticism: “They could only make one argument that Marc Guehi is reckless.”
Even then, he praised Marciniak’s handling of the game, insisting: “This referee has got everything spot on so far.”
So the referee stood firm. Guehi stayed on. Veiga played on, bandaged and bruised. The crowd seethed.
Nights like this can define how a campaign feels. The question now is whether this becomes just another European flashpoint, or the spark that fuels an even fiercer rivalry the next time these two meet.
