Stunning Manchester City comeback puts PSG on the brink of semi-final exit

Pep Guardiola has one foot in his first Champions League Final for a decade after a masterful tactical shift helped City snatch victory

Manchester City's Phil Foden (left) gets away from Paris Saint-Germain's Neymar at the Parc des Princes. Picture: Julien Poupert/PA

PSG 1 Manchester City 2 

A stunning second-half comeback, inspired by Kevin De Bruyne, left Pep Guardiola with one foot in his first Champions League Final for a decade in Paris - but how his side had to hold their nerve against Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

Two goals inside seven second-half minutes from De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez gave the Premier League champions-elect a cushion, and two vital away goals, after the star-studded cast of Paris all-stars threatened to sweep them away in the first half.

But Guardiola’s team, beaten by Poch when he was in charge of Spurs in an eventful Champions League quarter-final two years ago, hung in and stormed back with a masterful tactical shift from their coach.

Things became so bad for the former Spurs manager that his midfielder Idrissa Gueye was shown a straight red card for an appalling foul on Ilkay Gundogan after 77 minutes to finish with ten men. But by then the night - and maybe the whole tie - had been decided.

On 64 minutes, following a City corner, Oleksandr Zinchenko played a short pass to De Bruyne on the edge of the area and his wicked bouncing cross flew in, untouched, at the far post with keeper Keylor Navas rooted hopelessly to the spot.

But, as Paris' discipline eroded, Gueye tripped Phil Foden 20 yards out and, after a long conversation with De Bruyne, it was Mahrez who strode up and drilled a perfect free-kick through a wall which simply jumped out of the way.

It was a stunning collapse and lack of discipline from the French side, one nobody could have seen coming in the first half.

Guardiola had jokingly advised his players to treat their date with destiny like a “friendly” before the game, making the point that worrying unduly about Neymar and Kylian Mbappe could lead only to sleepless nights.

Sadly his defence took him a little too literally as PSG made a threatening start to the tie and stormed into the lead after 15 minutes.

The goal came from a corner, at the end of a spell of pressure from the home team, that was delivered magnificently by former United winger Angel Di Maria. The flat, pacy delivery found the head of Marquinhos, running past and away from Gundogan, who guided a perfect glancing header into the corner of the City net.

It meant that Marquinhos had scored in the quarter and semis of the Champions League for a second successive year, an indication that the French team’s quality extends beyond their two ultra high-profile global icons.

Yet Mbappe and Neymar, of course, remained the fulcrum around which PSG leverage their often sublime football and the pair showed they meant business from the second minute in a move which ended with the Brazilian shooting straight at Ederson.

Just before the opener, a powerful Alessandro Florenzi shot struck a team-mate, only for Neymar to end up with the rebound and somehow create space to unleash a deflected shot which Ederson tipped over superbly.

Yet City had their moments - Bernardo Silva stretching to meet Joao Cancelo’s 20th-minute far-post ball and forcing Navas into his first save, while the shaky keeper's poor clearance fell straight to Foden who crossed for Mahrez whose dangerous header was cleared by Paredes, with Silva lurking.

The tie was living up to expectation, one of those games you dare not take your eye off, even if City supporters might have wanted to at times as Neymar continued his masterclass.

Worryingly, for the French and neutrals at least, Neymar suffered a heavy tumble after a late first-half foul from Cancelo and emerged with strapping to his arm for the second half.

But his and PSG's undoing was not the result of any injury problem. Instead, City started the second period much more on the front foot, pressing Paris deep in their own half, and trying to force their defence into the sort of errors they looked in danger of committing in the first half.

Not that the PSG threat was completely nullified. When Mbappe made a rare foray into the City area after 56 minutes, his cross came within millimetres of being turned into the City net by Marco Verratti in the centre of the six-yard box. But that would prove a rare concern for the Blues.

City were undettered, and had shaken off their first-half woes, De Bruyne delivering an overhead kick which flew wide then Marquinhos having to step up to clear a dangerous Kyle Walker cross.

The goals soon followed, as City stepped up their pressing and their short, sharp passing, and Foden’s glancing header might have guaranteed them an even more comfortable Etihad return next week.

There were also late chances for Mahrez, who shot wide, and Foden who ghosted in and shot straight at the keeper as City finished in complete control.

PSG (4-2-3-1): Navas 4; Florenzi 6, Marquinhos 7, Kimpembe 5, Bakker 6; Paredes 5 (Herrera 82), Gueye 4; Di Maria 7 (Danilo 79, 6), Veratti 5, Neymar 8; Mbappe 7. Subs (not used): Kehrer, Icardi, Rafinha, Rico, Kean, Sarabia, Kurzawa, Diallo, Drexler, Dagba.

Man City (4-3-3): Ederson 7; Walker 7, Dias 7, Stones 7, Cancelo 6 (Zinchenko 61, 7); Gundogan 7, Rodri 7, De Bruyne 9; Mahrez 8, Silva 7, Foden 7. Subs (not used): Ake, Sterling, Jesus, Aguero, Steffen, Laporte, Torres, Mendy, Fernandinho, Garcia, Trafford.

Referee: F Brych (Germany) 7