IT was the reaction of Andriy Pyatov which told the tale of possibly the worst penalty ever awarded in a top-level football match.
When ref Viktor Kassai pointed to the spot after Raheem Sterling stubbed his toe and tumbled spectacularly to the ground in the 24th minute, there was no anger from the Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper.
No, Pyatov simply burst into a fit of laughter.
Early in the second half Sterling again brought a picture of incredulity to Pyatovs face this time after the England forward netted an outrageous goal-of-the-season contender as City made almost certain of qualification for the knockout stage.
These were two genuinely jaw- dropping moments from Sterling a player in the form of his life one laughably ridiculous, the other utterly sublime.
First that extraordinary penalty which put City 2-0 up and left Pyatov suffering from aching sides.
Sterling burst down the left, into the box and was barely in the same postcode as closest defender Mykola Matviyenko when he appeared to attempt a chip.
Yet he did not even get close to the ball and then accentuated his fall.
Pyatov clutched his head, pointed out the massive divot Sterling had left, then laughed heartily.
Matviyenko looked baffled then started grinning too. It was a laugh or youd have to cry moment for the Ukrainian visitors.
Lolz all round as no fewer than five elite Hungarian match officials failed to spot what seemed obvious to everyone else in the stadium that Sterling could not possibly have been fouled.
It was probably not an intentional dive...Sterling would surely have made it look more convincing had he been trying to cheat.
But the decision of Kassai rated highly enough by Uefa to have taken charge of the 2011 Champions League final was so literally laughable than there was an argument to suggest Sterling should have done a Robbie Fowler and come clean about it.
It was so comical that they could even have either intentionally missed the penalty or run in a deliberate own goal in the interests of fairness after the interval, when everyone would no doubt have been made aware of Kassais blooper.
It was an incident certainly to launch a million internet memes and gifs but even if Sterling was not entirely blameless, the laugh was on Kassai and the additional assistant referee nicking a living behind the goal line.
The one consolation for Kassai was that City would surely have won this Group F match anyway.
Pep Guardiolas men were already in front after David Silva had tapped in from a gorgeous piece of old-school wing play from Riyad Mahrez.
When hat-trick hero Gabriel Jesus found the brass-neck to convert the penalty, the contest was virtually over.
But then came Sterlings sumptuous moment as he slipped artfully between two defenders and advanced on a third before bending home a peach of a shot from the edge of the box.
It was his ninth goal for club and country already this season.
He had led Englands swashbuckling victory over Spain with a brace in Seville and, in the rout of Southampton last Sunday, he scored two more and had a hand in three others.
Sterling is full of it right now. And however extraordinary the penalty award, it was his gorgeous goal which exemplified the form of a rare talent in full bloom.
City needed a night like this as they scored five goals or more for the FIFTH time in this nascent season to offer some feelgood factor after a troubling week off the pitch.
Manchester City v Manchester United: Live stream, TV channel, kick-off time and team news for Premier League clashThis entire cash-drenched City project has been the subject of serious allegations with some of the clubs attempts at dodging Uefas Financial Fair Play restrictions laid bare by hackers.
These were part of scheme which City chiefs had nicknamed Project Longbow after the weapon the English used to defeat the French at Agincourt and gave the world the original two-fingered up yours salute.
That is pretty much in keeping with Citys uneasy relationship with Uefa and this, their flagship competition.
City fans continue to boo the Champions League anthem and before this, Guardiolas men had lost three successive European home games.
Yet the Etihad was fuller and atmosphere better than on many European nights here. And while Sterling dominates the headlines, it was Mahrez who got the ball rolling.
The Algerian beat his marker, Yaroslav Rakitskiy, so many times it was as if he was trying to line-dance with the full-back.
Mahrez could hardly have elaborated it any more had he thrown in a doh-si-doh before centring to Silva to poke home.
After Sterlings pratfall and then his masterpiece came a second Jesus penalty.
There was no controversy about this one as Taras Stepanenko lunged in and took David Silvas legs away.
Mahrez beat Pyatov at his near post before
Jesus completed the rout with a lovely lob from a Mahrez pass.