PSG 1-2 Manchester City: A Victory for the History Books

Manchester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on April 28, 2021. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)
Manchester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez celebrates after scoring a goal during the UEFA Champions League first leg semi-final football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Manchester City at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris on April 28, 2021. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) (Photo by ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP via Getty Images)

With a dramatic two-goal comeback, Manchester City defied the odds to win at the Parc des Princes and put one foot in the door toward their first-ever Champions League final. PSG started the game in dominant fashion and immediately put City on the back foot with a set piece goal from Marquinhos.

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After finding their footing after the opening 30 minutes, City made a complete turnaround in the second half. The team created several chances and dominated the ball as PSG sat back, but the eventual breakthrough came out of nowhere as a wayward Kevin De Bruyne cross took a bounce past Keylor Navas and into the back of the net. From there, City refused to let up, which eventually led to a brilliant Riyad Mahrez free kick between the defenders in the wall to give the Blues a famous win.

After Idrissa Gueye was sent off for a shocking challenge on Ilkay Gündogan, City continued the push as Phil Foden nearly put the tie beyond all doubt with a devastating third, but put it straight down the middle.

With two away goals and a win heading back to the Etihad, the Citizens are firmly in the driver’s seat. Any draw will send them to their first-ever Champions League final, and even a 1-0 loss will get the job done on away goals. With a massive first leg win and the advantage heading back home, this is a prime opportunity to finally capture the elusive Champions League trophy under Pep Guardiola.

It’s all about maintaining focus from here. City are in front and tonight will go down as a famous comeback win, but the job is far from done. PSG will present a real existential threat in the form of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé with the tie only at halftime. Nevertheless, this is a fantastic result that showed real character from City, and now the weight of the world will be on them to finally deliver on the greatest promise of the Guardiola era.

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