PSG 2 Manchester City 2
De Bruyne 38 Ibrahimovic 41 Rabiot 60 Fernandinho 72
Manchester City had heroes & clowns playing in the same team.
This match was a carnival of incompetence where the lack of focus was appalling, more ridiculous than I’ve ever seen in a Champions League game.
But somehow Man City got away with it.
First half, Joe Hart made a fantastic save from a Zlatan penalty, diving forward to his right to save a hard shot that was going into the bottom corner.
When Otamendi went AWOL, Motta released Zlatan though the middle and he fired a high-velocity shot that dipped but still went over the bar.
When Fernando picked up a ragged pass by Matuidi, City broke with perfect geometry, Fernandinho found Kevin De Bruyne and his finish was phenomenal for 0-1.
WHAT A MOMENT!
Then Hart stupidly rolled the ball to Fernando on the edge of the box and the Brazilian’s mental and technical breakdown was total. He miscontrolled the ball and then booted it against the leg of Zlatan and saw it rebound into the net for 1-1
Second half, City were unable to switch the ball or mix it up and when a left wing corner produced a Cavani header, Hart parried in front of Zlatan’s raised boot and Rabiot slotted at the far post. He’s lethal from two yards, as we saw at Stamford Bridge.
Rabiot, playing intelligently, had a very good game.
Then Zlatan hit the bar with a header.
Incredibly, Sagna’s late cross hit three defenders before Fernandinho banged it in off Thiago Silva for 2-2.
VERDICT : A garbage game full of sloppy mistakes that could have been 5-3.
Why? Because both teams had the jitters.
Neither club had ever been this close to a Champions League semi-final.
What will happen at the Etihad next week?
That should be a much tighter and more tactically intense contest.
History favours away teams who get a 2-2 draw in the first leg : 79% go through.
And Matuidi and David Luiz, two powerhouse Paris regulars, are banned from that second leg.
Found myself thinking: thank God for Leicester, an honest team who work hard for each other and don’t have any decadent superstars who’ve been earning £200,000 a week for the last five years.
Leicester would have beaten Citeh or Paris last night.