MANCHESTER CITY have one foot in the Champions League final after staging a stunning fightback to stun PSG in Paris.
2020/2021 UEFA Champions League
1-2
Match Report
The first leg was at Parc des Princes and had two Italy internationals in the starting XI, Alessandro Florenzi and Marco Verratti, with Moise Kean on the bench. Neither side used a traditional centre-forward.
Florenzi had one of the first big chances of the game, his strike charged down by both defenders and teammate Verratti, then Ederson fingertipped a Neymar effort over the bar in the same move.
Moments later, PSG took the lead with a Marquinhos glancing header on an Angel Di Maria corner. It was another big Champions League goal for the former Roma defender.
Keylor Navas was alert as Bernardo Silva came sliding onto a Joao Cancelo cross at the back post, then Leandro Paredes made an acrobatic and very risky clearance off the head of Silva.
Florenzi went on a mazy run in the penalty area, but slipped and collided with Neymar, then Phil Foden stung the goalkeeper’s gloves from distance.
City were far better in the second half with a high press, but still risked conceding a second when Mbappé flashed a ball across the six-yard box inches beyond Verratti’s toes.
Kevin de Bruyne’s acrobatic effort went over the bar, but the equaliser came essentially by accident, as De Bruyne’s cross bounced awkwardly and went past everyone into the far top corner.
City turned the game around completely, as the Riyad Mahrez free kick burst through the defensive wall, as Presnel Kimpembe jumped the wrong way.
Things got even worse for the hosts, as Idrissa Gueye received a straight red card for a ridiculous foul with studs on Ilkay Gundogan’s Achilles tendon.
Match Events
0' The match is about to start!
2' Neymar's shot denied
12' Ederson denies Neymar's efforts
14' GOAL! PSG 1-0 Man City (Marquinhos)
28' Paredes' header wide out
30' Yellow Card! Cancelo booked
32' Paredes makes a timely clearence
40' Neymar goes down in the box but ref says no penalty!
42' Navas makes a decent save to stop Foden
59' Ederson makes a timely clearence
61' Subs! Zinchenko in, Cancelo out
63' GOAL! PSG 1-1 Man City (De Bruyne)
69' Yellow Card! Paredes booked
70' GOAL! PSG 1-2 Man City (Mahrez)
73' Yellow Card! Neymar booked
76' Red Card! Gueye sent off
80' Subs! Danilo replaces Di María
85' Yellow Card! De Bruyne booked
87' Foden's chance stopped
Line-ups
PSG XI: Di Maria, Navas, Verratti, Gueye, Neymar, Paredes, Marquinhos, Florenzi, Kimpembe, Mbappe, Bakker
Subs: Herrera, Sarabia, Danilo Pereira, Kurzawa, Rico, Draxler, Rafinha, Icardi, Kehrer, Diallo, Dagba, Kean
Man City XI: Walker, Gundogan, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Cancelo, Stones, Ederson, Ruben Dias, Bernardo, Rodri, Foden
Subs: Aguero, Fernandinho, Sterling, Mendy, Laporte, Ake, Zinchenko, Z. Steffen, Jesus, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia, J. Trafford