PSG dismantle City 4-2 at Etihad as poor first half proves costly in Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain dismantled Manchester City 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in the Champions League, with a devastating first-half display from Luis Enrique’s side leaving the hosts with too much ground to recover.

Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha all scored before the break to put PSG firmly in control. City manager Enzo Maresca responded with a triple substitution at half-time, and Erling Haaland gave the home crowd brief hope when he pulled one back inside ten minutes of the restart. But Maghnes Akliouche’s freak goal extended the visitors’ lead and effectively ended the contest. Haaland added a second to make it 4-2, and Ferran Torres was denied from the penalty spot late on as City’s attempted comeback fell short.

Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, on loan from Crystal Palace, was candid in his assessment of the performance after the final whistle. “First half we need to do a lot better, myself included for the first two goals. They were a bit more aggressive,” the centre-back said. “Second half was the complete opposite — we were a lot more aggressive, we won a lot more of the duels which gave us the platform to go and score those goals. Not the best first half but a lot of positives to take from the second half.”

Guehi also pointed to the atmosphere inside the Etihad as a source of encouragement despite the result. “The fans stuck by us the whole game. The support was amazing. I think every single person knew that as long as we keep fighting, there was something there for us.”

Looking ahead, the defender stressed the importance of a swift response. “We need to stay positive. I am the hardest on myself, everyone is going to be hard on themselves, but we have got a game coming up fast so it is important to try and move on, learn quickly, and try and put that right.”

City’s attention now turns to a Premier League fixture against Ipswich Town, with Guehi insisting the squad will use this defeat as a learning experience as the Champions League campaign continues.