Manchester City took on Paris Saint Germain in the second UEFA Champions League semi-final. The Citizens are looking to reach the final for the first time in their history, while PSG are hoping for consecutive final appearances. City took a major step towards their goal by winning the first leg.
Neymar and Kylian Mbappe versus Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden – those were the match-ups in store for the fans ahead of the second UEFA Champions League semi-final. Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain faced each other for a spot in the final, where they would face either Chelsea or Real Madrid. PSG took the lead early on in the match, but City hit back and came from behind to beat their opponents, 2-1.
PSG went into attack straight from the kick-off. The Parisians dominated possession and tried to open up gaps in the City defence. Neymar was presented with the first real opportunity of the match when he played a one-two with Marco Verratti before testing Ederson in goal. However, the Brazilian parried his compatriot’s effort away towards safety.
Nonetheless, PSG opened the scoring with the very next attack. Captain Marquinhos rose highest from a corner to head the ball past Ederson. Angel Di Maria provided the assist for the goal with a pin-point cross.
City created the next two big chances of the match. Bernardo Silva tested Keylor Navas from an improbable angle first before the Costa Rican parried away Foden’s fierce strike. As a consequence of his two big saves, PSG went into the break with a narrow lead.
Pep Guardiola’s team kept up the tempo and tried to break down the opposition defence. The breakthrough came somewhat surprisingly in the 64th minute when a De Bruyne cross deceived everyone and crept inside the goalpost. Navas, who had diverted his attention towards the Manchester City runners, could do nothing but watch as the ball went in.
City took the lead seven minutes later, once again thanks to PSG’s defensive failings. Riyad Mahrez’s freekick went through two players in the wall and into the back of the net. To make matters worse, Idrissa Gueye received his marching orders shortly after due to a horror tackle and will now miss the second leg next week.
