Manchester City 2-4 PSG: Maresca says Paris were 'quite lucky'
After a 4-2 home defeat by PSG in the Champions League, Enzo Maresca highlighted Manchester City's second-half response and claimed Luis Enrique had told him Paris had been fortunate.
Key takeaways
- PSG won 4-2 at Manchester City in the Champions League.
- Enzo Maresca said City were not far off PSG, noting two quickfire goals early proved costly.
- City had xG of 2.6 to PSG's 1.8 in the match.
- Maresca said Luis Enrique told him PSG had been fortunate, though the source was not quoted directly.
- The game featured two halves, with PSG leading 3-0 at half-time and City winning the second half 2-1.
Match sheet
Manchester City 2 – 4 Paris Saint-Germain
· Ligue des champions · League Phase · Etihad Stadium
- 13' Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain) — goal
- 15' Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) — goal
- 32' Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain) — goal
- 53' Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — goal
- 61' Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City) — yellow card
- 62' Maghnes Akliouche (Paris Saint-Germain) — goal
- 69' Warren Zaïre-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain) — yellow card
- 75' Erling Haaland (Manchester City) — goal
Standings Ligue des champions : 1er, 9 pts (3 j.)
A game of two halves
Paris Saint-Germain won 4-2 at Manchester City in the Champions League in a match of two very different halves. The Parisians dominated the first half and went in at the break three goals to the good. After the interval, the Citizens raised their game considerably and won the second half 2-1, but could not close the gap.
For Manchester City, the defeat still offers grounds for hope, given how threatening the side looked once they committed bodies forward.
City threat after the break
Maresca: "We're there, not far off"
In his post-match press conference, Enzo Maresca felt his team were not that far off PSG's level. The Italian coach acknowledged that the two quickfire goals conceded had proved costly: against opponents of this calibre, falling two goals behind so early makes the task enormously difficult, he explained. He did, however, feel that the chances created after the break deserved better, while stressing the need to learn the lessons from the defeat.
Pep Guardiola's successor, who watched the game from the stands, also praised PSG's style. He said he enjoys facing PSG because of their boldness: relentless pressing, man-to-man marking all over the pitch and plenty of dynamism on the ball.
The numbers favour City
The expected goals (xG) figures back up Maresca's view: according to the data, Manchester City finished on 2.6 to Paris's 1.8. The gap reflects both the clinical edge of Luis Enrique's side and the number of chances the Mancunians squandered in the second half.
The words attributed to Luis Enrique
Speaking to TNT Sports, Maresca recounted an exchange with his PSG counterpart at the final whistle. According to him, Luis Enrique candidly admitted that PSG had enjoyed a certain amount of luck. The City coach drew a broader lesson from it: against teams like this, you have to be clinical in front of goal, ride your luck a little and never lose your balance. These comments were reported only by Maresca; the source does not quote the PSG coach directly.
An attacking spectacle
The game was turned on its head by two PSG goals in quick succession shortly after the first quarter of an hour, which blew City's game plan apart. City's fightback, late as it was, nonetheless produced wide-open football from both sides, at times recalling last season's spectacular PSG - Bayern (5-4).
Your questions, our answers
What did Maresca say about PSG being 'not far off' City?
He felt his team were not that far off PSG's level and that the chances created after the break deserved better.
What did the xG numbers show for City and Paris?
City finished on 2.6 to Paris's 1.8.
What did Luis Enrique reportedly admit according to Maresca?
Luis Enrique candidly admitted that PSG had enjoyed a certain amount of luck.