Manchester City clashed heads with Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes earlier tonight as they looked to pick up a victory in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semifinal tie. The Mancunian giants made a poor start to the contest as they conceded the opening goal in the 15th minute when Marquinhos scored with a deadly header from close range. Pep Guardiola’s men struggled to come up with a response and went into the half-time break one goal down on the scoreline.
Kevin De Bruyne inadvertently equalized for Man City in the 64th minute when his cross saw the ball miss everyone and sneak into the PSG net. Riyad Mahrez completed the turnaround for the visitors just seven minutes later when he found the back of the net with a brilliant freekick. Idrissa Gueye was sent off soon after for a reckless challenge on Ilkay Gundogan as Man City secured an impressive 2-1 win away in Paris.
Let’s take a look at how each Man City performed during the clash against PSG.
GK: Ederson – 7/10
The Brazilian custodian made a few solid saves and did well to restrict the French side to just one goal.
RB: Kyle Walker – 6.5/10
Walker maintained a good defensive shape at the back and made one good run down the right flank. However, he should have offered a bit more going forward.
CB: John Stones – 6.5/10
He made a couple of crucial clearances and did what was asked of him on the defensive end of the field. Stones was also excellent with his ball distribution.
CB: Ruben Dias – 7/10
The Portuguese defensive ace won the ball back on two occasions and even cleared his lines when required. He performed well enough to keep Kylian Mbappe quiet throughout the 90 minutes.
LB: Joao Cancelo – 7/10
Cancelo got stuck in with a few tackles and made some encouraging runs with the ball in the PSG half. He got replaced at the hour mark.
CM: Bernardo Silva – 7/10
The Portugal international produced a tireless shift at the centre of the park and managed to positively influence the game in both halves.
CM: Rodri – 6.5/10
Rodri made life difficult for the opposition in midfield but struggled to create too many openings in the attacking third.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 7/10
The German midfield ace kept the ball moving quite well and completed some exciting dribbles during the game.
RW: Riyad Mahrez – 8.5/10
The Algerian winger caused all sorts of problems for the PSG defenders and got his deserved goal with a well-executed freekick.
ST: Kevin De Bruyne – 7/10
The Belgian international worked hard as a makeshift centre-forward and was fortunate to score the equaliser with his inadvertent cross in the 64th minute.
LW: Phil Foden – 7.5/10
Foden was a real breath of fresh air in the PSG half and showed a lot of promising signs during the game. However, there was no goal or assist for the youngster tonight.
Substitutes:
LB: – 7/10
He came off the bench and secured an assist to his name.
