Manchester City's future in this season's Champions League hangs in the balance after they threw away a two-goal lead to lose to PSG.
City currently occupy an elimination spot in the league stage and have now won just two of their seven games. The Ligue 1 side were largely dominant in Wednesday's match, but it was City who took the lead through Jack Grealish, who blasted the ball home just four minutes after coming on.
Grealish then played a key role in helping Erling Haaland score a second. But Ousmane Dembélé smashed the ball home to pull a goal back before the impressive Bradley Barcola smashed home an equalizer to cap a frenzied 10 minutes into the second half.
With eleven minutes to go, Joao Neves completed a remarkable comeback for the home side when he headed home from a free-kick after City had left it unnoticed. PSG scored a fourth in the final seconds of the match when Goncalo Ramos buried the ball past Ederson. Here, Mirror Football looks at the key talking points from Wednesday's match.
Nervous ends up in the lead
The unpleasant draw means that it will be a nerve-wracking final match day for both City and PSG. Pep Guardiola's side now occupy an elimination spot, just seven points ahead of their final match against Club Brugge next week.
PSG, meanwhile, climbed into the play-off places, two points ahead of City. The French giants will travel to Stuttgart in their final match, with the German side also set to battle for a play-off spot.
The result will only increase Guardiola's nerves. The visit of Bruges now becomes a must-win match if City are to extend their stay in the Champions League.
Mendes proves Amorim right
PSG left-back Nuno Mendes was a top target for Manchester United earlier in the period. And on Wednesday, the 22-year-old showed exactly why Ruben Amorim was keen to sign him.
He handled Phil Foden's threat masterfully and impressively denied Erling Haaland in a one-on-one against the City star in the first half. Mendes almost had a tremendous impact on the game going forward.
Towards the end of the first 45 minutes he charged forward, exchanging a one-two before squaring the ball with only Ederson to beat. The ball eventually found its way to Achraf Hakimi, who fired home, although VAR ruled Mendes had been millimeters offside.
Inspired Guardiola
Because his team was outplayed in the first half, City boss Pep Guardiola decided to take action during half-time. He removed Savinho and, in a surprise move, also took out star defender Ruben Dias.
In their place came Jack Grealish and Rico Lewis, who also forced a change in form. But the moves had a quick impact and turned the game on its head.
First Grealish opened the scoring before playing a key role when Erling Haaland tapped in the second. Eight minutes, two substitutions and two goals. Proof that Guardiola still has a golden touch.
Super sub Grealish
After 13 months without a goal, Jack Grealish now has two in his last three games. But his goal on Wednesday evening will be of much more value to City than his penalty against Salford in the FA Cup.
Grealish was introduced as a half-time substitute for Savinho on the left wing. Just four minutes later he impressed, smashing the ball home from close range to give City the lead.
Five minutes later he played a key role in City's second goal. Grealish picked up the ball on the left and decided to run towards his man before playing a pass. The ball was tapped in by a PSG defender, leaving Erling Haaland with an easy finish.
Barcola is beaming
If Grealish was City's star man, then Bradley Barcola took over that mantle for PSG. From his position on the left wing, he proved to be a serious problem for City throughout the match.
His first key moment came when he had actually switched to the left. He cheekily nutmegged Gvardiol to charge through before throwing the ball squarely to Ousmane Dembele, who was left with an empty net into which to sweep his shot.
Four minutes later the winger himself was on the scoresheet. The ball fell to him after Desire Doue hit the crossbar, with Barcola fortunately bundling the ball home.
Trading places
When we talk about crises in Europe, it is usually PSG who is on the receiving end. Not this time. We have Les Parisiens seen so often falter, with City's rapid scoring drive signaling the start of another disappointing evening.
But PSG proved they are entering a new era and fought back to claim a draw. Barcola's goal capped a wild ten minutes, making you wonder if City and PSG were playing a game of 'swap places'.
However, things would get worse for City, with Joao Neves scoring a late winner. This is a long-term problem for City, who have now dropped eight points from gaining positions in this season's Champions League.
Comments