City rally to win 2-1 at PSG in first leg of CL semi-final
PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain lost its composure and the match as Manchester City rallied to win 2-1 away from home in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. PSG led 1-0 through captain Marquinhos’ early header from a corner, but City skipper Kevin De Bruyne equalized in the 64th minute when goalkeeper Keylor Navas misread his dipping cross and it bounced inside his post. Riyad Mahrez’s free kick — through a wall that jumped early and left an inviting gap for the Algeria winger — put the visitors ahead in the 71st.
“We deserved the lead, but in the second half they were better than us. Physically they were a little bit more aggressive, it was difficult for us to recover the ball,” PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “We’re very disappointed with the two goals. It’s difficult to accept that this happened in the semifinal, it’s really painful.” After City’s quick 1-2 punch, PSG’s composure soon crumbled, as has often been the case in recent seasons when under pressure. Pochettino’s side finished the game with 10 players as midfielder Idrissa Gueye was shown a red card in the 77th minute for a dangerous tackle on midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.
City could have taken a bigger lead into the return leg next Tuesday, but winger Phil Foden shot straight at Navas after a brilliant jinking run through PSG’s flagging defense.
“In football you need to believe,” Pochettino said. “Of course we are under a little bit of pressure, but in football you need to try.” City coach Pep Guardiola wants his players to stay relaxed for the return leg, rather than thinking about reaching the final for the first time in the club’s history.
“All I want is for us to be ourselves in the second leg,” he said.
“We are good playing a certain way, we cannot do it differently.” Chelsea drew 1-1 at Real Madrid in the other semifinal on Tuesday. City made a bright start, stretching PSG with its quick passing and imposing itself in midfield with some hefty challenges.
But PSG had the first sights on goal and, after Neymar went close, Marquinhos timed his run well to meet Angel Di Maria’s corner near the front post and head in the 15th-minute opener.
It was another important goal from the Brazilian, after netting a last-gasp equalizer in the quarterfinals and then scoring in the semis last season.