Paris St Germain clawed back from two goals down to stun Manchester City 4-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday and leave the English club outside the playoff places and in danger of elimination.
Goals from PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos turned the match on its head after City had taken a 2-0 lead early in the six-goal second half.
“The team’s faith is unshakeable,” PSG manager Luis Enrique told reporters. “My team never gives up until the last second and we’ve often shown that.”
Substitute Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland struck in the 50th and 53rd minutes for City, but home fans braving torrential rain at Parc des Princes were treated to a brilliant comeback.
Dembele latched on to a cross from Barcola to sweep home a goal in the 56th minute. Then Barcola levelled four minutes later when he tucked in the rebound after Desire Doue’s blistering shot came back off the crossbar.
PSG parked themselves in City’s half and took the lead in the 78th minute when the visitors’ back line struggled to clear Vitinha’s free kick, leaving Neves to head in at the back post.
Ramos put the icing on the cake with a fine strike from just inside the 18-yard box, given after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
“To defend the result you have to keep the ball. We didn’t have it,” a deflated City manager Pep Guardiola told TNT Sports.
PSG climbed to 22nd in the table, while City, who hoisted the Champions League trophy in 2023 but have won just two of their seven group games, dropped to 25th, one spot below the playoff qualification spots.
CITY’S MUST-WIN FINALE
“We accept the defeat because the best team won and we have a last chance (to qualify) at home against Club Brugge,” Guardiola said.
City’s loss sets up a nerve-jangling finale when they host Belgian side Brugge on Jan. 29. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16, while sides finishing ninth to 24th compete in two-legged knockout playoffs to secure their spot in the last 16.
“It could happen. We will see,” Guardiola said on City’s chances of going out before the knockouts. “If we don’t win (v Brugge) we don’t deserve it.”
PSG were the better side for most of Wednesday’s game and briefly celebrated a goal by Achraf Hakimi seconds before halftime that was ruled out for offside.
City seemed to be continuing their revival from weeks of poor results when Grealish rifled in the rebound from Bernardo Silva’s shot. Haaland doubled the lead when Grealish’s cross took a deflection to fall to the Norwegian who hammered home from close range.
But PSG then blitzed the English champions, who had squandered a three-goal lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3 in November. The French side travel to VfB Stuttgart for their final game of the league phase.
Grealish had no answer for City’s letdown.
“I don’t know, usually in these moments, we’re so good,” the midfielder told TNT. “Obviously, it’s happened too many times this season … we’ve not been able to control the game and see it out. Like I said, it’s weird, because in every other season, we’ve been so good in these moments managing the game.”
(Reuters)
