Champions League: Paris overturns Manchester City (4-2) in a crazy match and stays alive

Barcola vient d'égaliser. Neves et Hakimi exultent. L'espoir a changé de camp. MAXPPP – Le Parisien/Arnaud Journois

Menés 2-0, les Parisiens ont réussi une deuixème mi-temps de haut vol pour signer un match référence et se replacer dans la course aux barrages.

So often nailed to the cross by opposing “remontadas”, Paris signed an anthology one, Wednesday evening at the Parc des Princes, to dominate Manchester City (4-2) and stay alive in this Champions League before the last day. With 10 points before going to Stuttgart next week, Paris is not yet out of the woods but has taken a big step forward to avoid an infamous elimination in the first round. Above all, it delivered a reference match that could influence the rest of its season.

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The prestige of the match but also the immense stakes, between two extremely rich and ambitious clubs on the verge of elimination, were visible everywhere at the Parc des Princes. During the first 45 minutes, City gave up possession of the ball like rarely before (60% for PSG) and suffered wave after wave: a strike from the lively Désiré Doué (4th), a header from Joao Neves (10th), until this goal from Hakimi disallowed by the VAR for a piece of knee too far forward at the start of the action (45th).

Dembélé changes everything

We then feared that PSG's chronic inefficiency would be its downfall. Especially when Manchester scored twice at the restart against the run of play through Jack Grealish (50th) then Erling Haaland (53rd), lying in wait at the far post.

But Luis Enrique's men had the merit of immediately reducing the score, with a wild run from Bradley Barcola who coolly crossed for Démbélé (56th), who was spared in the first half and came on at the restart. PSG thought they were cursed once again when Doué hit the bar but Barcola recovered perfectly to find the side netting (60th). The evening was starting to exude a legendary scent, with an ecstatic crowd.

Neves strong header!

Dembélé almost scored an anthology goal by linking up a little bridge on Bernardo Silva and a powerful strike from a tight angle, pushed back by the crossbar (70th). Manchester City were on the verge of a KO. Salvation came from a free kick taken from the side by Vitinha and it was Joao Neves, who was on the ball since the start of the match, who came out of his box to score with a header (78th).
Despite an unusual change of defender for attacker (Hernandez for Barcola), coming from Luis Enrique, PSG continued to dominate the match and Mancunian excursions towards the Parisian surface were rare.

Served by Dembélé, Ramos almost made the break (90th), blocked by Ederson. And as if to finish chasing away its demons, Paris managed to defend a dangerous corner, with a great raised fist from Donnarumma.

On the next action, Gonçalo Ramos, who came on as a substitute, took advantage of a defensive blunder by the Citizens to complete the Parisian masterpiece with a shot into the top corner (90th+3). Liberation!