The 36-year-old made his first appearance in the tournament since 2005 as a second-half replacement, setting a new competition record in the process.
Manchester City breezed into the Champions League quarter-finals with little work from Pep Guardiola, but the nostalgic manager made sure Scott Carson had a night to remember.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper came in as a late substitute for Ederson, making his first appearance in the Champions League in 17 years when he played for Liverpool against Juventus in the quarter-finals.
Carson’s only two Champions League outings were separated by an incredible 6,182-day span.
Even if Friday night was only the second goalless tie at the Etihad in over four years, his current team already knew they were headed for many more.
The second leg was typically lacklustre, with the conclusion determined after City’s 5-0 triumph in Lisbon.
After being sent through by Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling came closest to breaking the first-half deadlock, but Antonio Adan stopped his attempted chip.
After Ilkay Gundogan’s ball reached him, Foden fired a powerful shot from the edge of the area, which Adan pushed away.
However, it was a routine affair as City went through the motions in preparation for the competition’s business end when they would once again be in the last eight.
Another plus for Guardiola was that it allowed him to use up another day of Kyle Walker’s current UEFA ban for his red card in the group stages.
With the England full-back currently serving a one-game suspension in Europe, City boss Pep Guardiola was allowed to give teenage full-back Conrad Egan-Riley his European debut.
Guardiola also made the popular decision to give Oleksandr Zinchenko, the captain of the Ukrainian national team, a whole game in lieu of Joao Cancelo, who was out due to illness.
It was Zinchenko who almost put City ahead early in the second half with a stunning cross-field ball that found Riyad Mahrez in full flight.
The ball eventually found its way to Gabriel Jesus, who beat Adan at his near-post, only for the effort to be called out for offside.
The decision summed up a night that was devoid of drama owing to City’s domination in the first leg.
At the very least, the half-time entrance of another young debutant, James McAtee, injected some life into the proceedings.
In the 56th minute, McAtee’s deft ball produced a little chance for Jesus, whose shot was unconvincingly blocked by Adan.
Sporting also felt rejuvenated as they approached the exit, with Bruno Tabata firing their first on-target attempt of the night just before the hour, which Alisson comfortably collected.
Marcus Edwards, a Tottenham academy product, provided a spark off the bench on Sporting’s right-wing, but it was never going to concern City.
Sporting’s Matheus Reis blazed a shot wide, but Guardiola kept the pre-season friendly atmosphere alive by bringing in Carson, whose first save, from Paulinho, earned him an. Injuries happen, and they need to be treated.
