Manchester City dominated the ball possession, but host Paris Saint-Germain won the important UEFA Champions League group stage match 2-0 against the English premier league Champion yesterday (Tuesday, 28 September 2021)) at Parc des Princes. With four points after two games, PSG climbed to the top of Group A’s standings. PSG’s superstar footballer Lionel Messi scored his first goal for the new club after arriving in the summer transfer window 2021. The match report of PSG vs. Man City 2021 is discussed in this article.
Match Report: PSG vs. Man City 2021
Paris Saint-Germain have secured the top spot in Group A with a 2-0 victory against Manchester City at the end of the second match of this round. Club Brugge are in the second position in this group followed by Manchester City and RB Leipzig.
Lionel Messi scored his first PSG goal in this match after three appearances, making it a memorable night for the football sensation. Messi has been under pressure to put up his usual master class performance since joining the French club this summer. He is surely now relieved after scoring this goal.
Lionel Messi’s Stunner
Messi remained relatively quiet in the contest until the 74th minute. He ran down the opposition half with his customary dazzling pace and delivered a quick pass to Kylian Mbappe from just outside the D-box. Mbappe didn’t make a blunder as he delivered Messi a superb pass. Lionel Messi then did what he does best, smashing the ball into the top right corner of the net with his left foot, netting his first goal for Paris Saint-Germain. Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson had no choice but to watch the ball go into the net.
Lionel Messi has a knack for playing well against Pep Guardiola’s team, as he displayed with a thunderous goal yesterday. Messi now has scored 27 goals in 35 outings against English clubs.
Idrissa Gueye Strikes Early for PSG
PSG had a dream start to the game, scoring in the eighth minute thanks to a stunner from midfielder Idrissa Gueye. Neymar’s unsuccessful attempt landed the ball to Gueye just inside the penalty area. Idrissa Gueye found the ball and did the rest.
PSG looked confident after equalizing early in the game, and Verrati tried to reinforce the midfield. On the other hand, Man City had a chance to discard the lead in the 26th minute but they utterly wasted it.
Raheem Sterling’s header from Kevin De Bruyne’s cross struck the crossbar. Then Bernardo Silva’s shot again hit the bar. It was a big miss for the Citizen.
After that, both teams generated chances but were unable to convert on them. PSG’s Italian goalkeeper Donnarumma had a fantastic game as well. He made a few saves during the game to keep PSG in the lead. Idrissa Gueye was named player of the match for his first goal of the game.
PSG will play RB Leipzig in their third match of Group A on Thursday (October 19) at Parc des Princes. Manchester City will meet Club Brugge at Jan Breydel Stadium on the same day.
Bottom Line
Mauricio Pochettino’s team has struggled to gel as a team since the beginning of the season. Players from Paris Saint-Germain struggled to cope with Manchester City’s fluid attack at times during the PSG vs. Man City 2021 match. PSG had excelled in counter-attacking strategy. They had the luxury of adjusting their formation because they have the finest front three in the world. PSG must put forth more effort to develop a solid team. On the other hand, it was a wake-up call for Manchester City. They must identify their weaknesses and come up with the right tactics on the return legs against PSG.
Source: United News of Bangladesh