The full-back, 20, won the ball before catching Wydad's Samuel Obeng with his follow-through during City's 2-0 win over Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca in Philadelphia. The 88th-minute red card did not affect the result but Guardiola spoke about the incident after the game, which will see Lewis miss the clash against Al-Ain on Monday morning.
“The leg was high but he was on the grass,” the City boss explained.
“He touched the ball and, for the speed they go, to touch the ball, the leg has to be a little bit higher and the other player was down.
“It wasn’t a red card, Rico never had intention to hurt anyone for his style of play.
“It was a little bit unnecessary the red card, but the ref had a different opinion, he’s the boss and they checked VAR so we have to accept it.”
First-half goals from Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku helped City claim three points in their opening game of Group G in which they will also face Italian giants Juventus on Friday night. Guardiola’s side should easily progress to the next round on paper, especially after winning their first fixture. However, if players like Lewis continue to be reckless,s Guardiola may have a huge discipline problem on his hands heading into the latter stages of the competition.