When Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to the penalty spot to score the goal that would give him the outright international men's goalscoring record, the Sky Sports commentator was practically handing the record to the new Manchester United player before he'd even scored.
In Ronaldo's way was a young 19-year-old Irish goalkeeper, who the commentator briefly alluded could make himself a hero, before returning to a well-rehearsed introduction to the penalty.
But the goalkeeper hadn't read the poetic script, and produced a strong save from 12 yards to deny Ronaldo his record. It didn't escape fans that it was young Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu saving against the returning United hero.
After the short-but-intense saga that saw Ronaldo headed for City before United swooped in, there was a small amount of irony in Bazunu's save.
Bazunu would go on to deny Ronaldo from a well-hit free-kick as Ireland took the lead and looked to hold on for a historic win, but two late Ronaldo headers ensured he did eventually break the record and ensured the headlines remained with him.
For Bazunu, it was a heartbreaking end to an evening that projected him into the international stage. Until now, he was a highly-rated 17-year-old from Shamrock Rovers, signed by City and loaned out to Rochdale after some first-team squad involvements.
At Rochdale, Bazunu impressed under now-City academy boss Brian Barry-Murphy, even though Dale were eventually relegated from League One. The fact he has earned a new loan to Portsmouth, chasing promotion to the Championship, shows that he used his time at Spotland to push on and he will do the same at Fratton Park.
Already, Bazunu has taken the goalkeeper spot at Pompey and impressed in the early games of the season - as well as getting the chance to establish himself as number one for Ireland. He hasn't hidden his ambitions of becoming City's number one in the future, even though Ederson's new contract might complicate that aim.
Bazunu's loan is one of many this summer City have approved for their talented young players to get valuable experience, in a summer that has perhaps hinted at a change in transfer strategy. When Pep Guardiola talks about the gap between academy and first team football, it shows that City want their youngsters to have a geunine path to the senior squad, and the importance of identifying those potential future first-teamers who will benefit from regular playing time at a senior level.
League One, as Barry-Murphy himself knows extremely well, is an ever-improving division, with plenty of ambitious clubs trying to play football the right way to get into the Championship, where they are only one season away from the Premier League. City have clearly identified that level as a good step for their talented youngsters to get a first taste of senior football.
As well as Bazunu, fellow goalkeeper James Trafford is at Accrington, while Lewis Fiorini is at Lincoln after an eye-catching spell at NAC Breda last year. Ben Knight, who appeared in the Community Shield, scored his first goal for Crewe this week after being handed their number ten shirt, while 17-year-old defender Callum Doyle is impressing Sunderland fans with his early performances that are showing maturity beyond his years.
These aren't just any third division clubs, they're sides who like to play football the right way, and have ambitions of top half finishes at least. Bazunu's relegation battle didn't harm his progression, but substance is clearly as important as style for these technically-brilliant players.
In the division above, Morgan Rogers has joined Bournemouth with an option to make the move permanent, while Claudio Gomes gets his first regular senior football at Barnsley, who surprised everyone with their play-off appearance last year.
Gomes, who has found himself in an awkward position between the first team and academy, should benefit greatly from a run of games. Similarly, Tommy Doyle's loan at Hamburger SV should be a great experience for him, as he will hope to follow in the footsteps of a number of other young English players coming of age in Germany.
And Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who got a taste of senior football with Blackburn last year, is already a first choice under Vincent Kompany at Anderlecht. The experience of a new country, a new style, and some good football should help both Harwood-Bellis and Doyle in their developments.
Similarly, Yan Couto's loan at Braga will give him the chance to build on a fine loan at Girona and try and persuade Guardiola he's good enough to be a City player
For these ten youngsters, they will know that following Phil Foden into the City first team is an incredibly tough ask. Just because players like Liam Delap, Cole Palmer, James McAtee and Romeo Lavia have been kept at the CFA doesn't mean they necessarily have an advantage in breaking into Pep Guardiola's side.
City have also developed a fine record of utilising the loan system to give players exposure to sell them down the line. Matt Smith's move to Hull could be an example of one of those moves within the EFL, as is Rogers' swap to Bournemouth.
And the network of City Football Group clubs have also been used well to get good spells for players who could still generate funds for City. This sumer, Dario Sarmiento and Pablo Moreno have been sent to Girona, while Kluiverth Aguilar joins Diego Rosa at Lommel. Philippe Sandler and Patrick Roberts joined Troyes on deadline day and Yangel Herrera will join Espanyol on loan after City failed to sell him permanently.
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It's a transfer tactic that has been well-used by City since their 2008 takeover, with a recent FIFA report showing no club had loaned more players out between 2011 and 2020 than City. City were also among the most active when it came to selling players too, most of whom will never get close to the first team.
The difference in this transfer window is that the loans seem more tailored to the player, with a view to helping them become future City players, rather than simply boosting their value to sell in the future.
That, of course, remains an option - and performances like Bazunu's against Ronaldo certainly help - but maybe City are starting to get a second potential outcome from their lucrative loan department - first-team players for the future.
