Paris Saint-Germain pulled off a major result by beating Manchester City 4-2 away in the Champions League on Wednesday night. The win sends the French club to the top of their group after two matchdays.
The starting eleven took immediate control. Désiré Doué opened the scoring in the 13th minute from a Fabián Ruiz pass. Ousmane Dembélé doubled the lead just two minutes later, assisted by Doué. Vitinha, set up by Warren Zaire-Emery, made it three on the half-hour mark (32nd). This flawless start gave the visitors a decisive advantage.
The Manchester fightback
Manchester City responded after the break. Erling Haaland pulled a goal back in the 53rd minute. Parisian substitute Maghnes Akliouche, however, restored the three-goal cushion soon after, scoring his first Champions League goal for Paris Saint-Germain since his summer move (62nd). Haaland netted a second personal goal in the 75th, but the Sky Blues could get no closer. Paris even missed a late penalty.
Goalkeeper Matvey Safanov was called into action during the English side's push. Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca acknowledged the quality of the opposition. "Le Paris Saint-Germain? They are the best team in Europe over the last two years. They are fantastic, they play fantastic football," he said.
What's next for Paris Saint-Germain
This European performance comes as Paris Saint-Germain sit 5th in Ligue 1 with 11 points from six games. The team now faces a trip to Strasbourg this Saturday, a match to follow on our fixtures page. The squad is also dealing with the absences of A. Longoni and S. Mayulu.
Vitinha, scorer of the third goal, expressed his pride after the match. The midfielder stressed this result was just a beginning. Paris Saint-Germain, with three wins and two losses in their last five games across all competitions, must now back up this success in the league. He added that the team showed great character and the aim is to keep this momentum going. Their next Champions League fixture is against FC Copenhagen in three weeks.
Background and full detail: Le Figaro Sport
