Manchester City beat a formidable Paris Saint-Germain 4-2 as Pep Guardiola watched from the stands in a thrilling Champions League clash.
The back-to-back European champions were eager to make their strength felt early at the Etihad in a game that made it clear where the greater concentration of quality lay. Luis Enrique’s men were breathtaking in the first half, a masterclass in control with and without the ball.
Desiree Doue scored from distance. Ousmane Dembele completed a fine team move 99 seconds later. And Vitinha finished the first 45 minutes superbly with Warren Zaire-Emery’s instinctive strike. Enzo Maresca said: “If you don’t walk, you will struggle.”
A pair of goals from Erling Haaland made it respectable after the break and City were good value for both going forward, doing to PSG what was done to them in the first period. They hit the woodwork twice more in an increasingly frantic and transient half.
Despite the flurry of attacks and missed big chances, it was Gianluigi Donnarumma who was in the spotlight, his poor handling giving Magnes Akljuche and the visitors a fourth. He atoned late on by denying Ferran Torres’ wretched penalty attempt.
PSG’s first-half blitz was decisive and calmed the atmosphere around a rather muted Etihad, but Maresca will take comfort in his side turning what was expected to be a thrilling clash of the titans.
Man City are investigating after conceding three goals in the first half
PSG dominate the battle of the last winners
As well as being two of the earliest clubs to breach UEFA’s financial rules in 2014, Man City and PSG shared one thing in common before winning three of the last four Champions Leagues: They had failed to win any of the previous 67.
Each lost their first Champions League final – PSG to Bayern Munich in 2020 and City to Chelsea the following year. But both clubs are backed by free-spending owners from the Middle East, boasting some of the most talented squads in world football, a deficit that has since turned into a surplus.
City are now battling allegations of financial misconduct on the domestic front, all of which the club has denied, with the decision taken in a show of domestic unity. Guardiola was flanked by senior executives on the terraces, including chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano.
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and CEO Ferran Soriano in the stands before kick-off
They will see much to their liking on the pitch, with City’s players laser-focused on their work despite the cloud of uncertainty surrounding them. In the end, it’s a defeat of a fairly insignificant threat with excellent tracking chances and goals between two European contenders.
Whatever happens next, the football world will continue to tune in to see how City fare. When can it be?
A difficult night to understand!
Haaland lowered his head after losing to PSG
Sky Sports’ Ben Ransom At Etihad:
Where do you begin to understand this?
Pep Guardiola returned to action on a crazy night with his former side showing the many strengths and weaknesses that have manifested themselves in different ways during his tenure. A city fight at least means his trip won’t be marked by a humiliating defeat.
PSG were the better side overall and deserved to win, but given the number of chances that went begging for the home side on another night, the scoreline could have been reversed.
City fans may not be able to see their side in this competition next year, but as they made clear before kick-off, this is a fan base that has stood by the club through dark times before and promises to do so again.
Maresca believes City can beat PSG
Man City boss Enzo Maresca:
“It was a strange game. Two goals in two minutes caused us some problems. We were dead in the game, then we created a lot of opportunities in the second half. We were good in the second half.
“We lost a little bit of balance, the distance between the players and we struggled in the first half. In the second half we made changes and fixed some things and then we got better. Those kinds of teams, if you don’t go on your feet, you struggle. We had to be braver. We were in the second half.
“Honestly, we’re there. I feel like we’re close. It’s already difficult against PSG, but then you concede two quick goals. We can learn from that and move on.”