PSG were 3–0 up after 32 minutes. City changed three players at half-time, outshot them 21 to 5 and still lost.
The numbers
| Manchester City | Paris Saint-Germain | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 54% | 46% |
| Shots | 27 | 15 |
| On target | 9 | 10 |
| xG | 2.63 | 1.83 |
| Touches in opp. box | 52 | 17 |
| Corners | 11 | 2 |
| Accurate passes | 423 | 374 |
Result the chances deserved: Manchester City 55% / 18% / Paris Saint-Germain 26% (Poisson).
Starting line-ups
Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma, Khusanov, Dias, Guéhi, Gvardiol, Fernández, Anderson, Semenyo, Cherki, Doku, Haaland.
Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Safonov, Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes, Vitinha, Zaïre-Emery, Ruiz, Akliouche, Dembélé, Doué.
PSG subs: Kvaratskhelia (66', Doué), João Neves (76', Akliouche), Ferran Torres (76', Dembélé), Beraldo (84', Zaïre-Emery), Lucas Hernández (84', Fabián Ruiz). PSG coach: Luis Enrique. Yellow cards: Semenyo (53'), Zaïre-Emery (69'). Donnarumma saved Ferran Torres's 90th-minute penalty, given for Nunes's challenge on Nuno Mendes. Akliouche's goal is at 62' in City's report, Sofascore and FotMob. xG: FotMob 2.63–1.83; Opta Analyst, Sofascore and City's match centre give 2.57–1.83. Crowd: 60,021, a record for a European game at the Etihad.
Key moments, move by move
- PSG break quickly. Fabián Ruiz finds Doué on the left with the outside of his foot.
- Doué runs at Khusanov and gets past him.
- From about 20 metres he drives it low inside Donnarumma's near post.
- Hakimi sends Dembélé away down the right.
- Dembélé flicks it across to Doué on the left side of the box.
- Doué controls it and crosses to the far post.
- Dembélé has got away from Guéhi and heads it in from close range.
- Akliouche plays Zaïre-Emery in.
- Zaïre-Emery flicks it on with his heel into Vitinha's path.
- Vitinha hits it first time with his right foot, past Donnarumma.
- Ndiaye, on at half-time, has the ball on the left.
- He draws Zaïre-Emery towards him and crosses to the penalty spot.
- Haaland beats Pacho in the air and heads it in. It is his 37th Champions League goal for City, a club record.
- Dembélé finds Akliouche in the middle, at the edge of the box.
- Akliouche shakes off Guéhi and curls a left-footed shot.
- Donnarumma gets a hand to it, but the ball spins into the net.
- Bouaddi, on at half-time, breaks into the box from the right.
- He plays it low across the six-yard box.
- Haaland sweeps it in past Safonov.
City's man-to-man press, played through: three goals in 32 minutes, then a half-time reshuffle
- PSG played through the press. City pressed high and man-for-man, and PSG's midfield three passed round it first time (SI). Before half-time PSG had 10 shots, 7 on target; City had 6, 1 on target (Sofascore). Guéhi: "It's pretty much man for man all over the pitch."
- Doué against Khusanov. Doué beat Khusanov for the opener and made the second goal two minutes later. Sofascore credits him with 2 big chances created and 27 of 28 passes completed in 66 minutes. Maresca: "In two minutes you concede two goals and we lost a bit of balance, distance between players."
- The half-time reshuffle. Nunes, Bouaddi and Ndiaye came on for Dias, Cherki and Doku. Khusanov moved to centre-back, Bouaddi sat next to Anderson and Fernández played a step higher (SI, Maxifoot). Opta Analyst has 1.78 of City's 2.57 xG coming after the break.
- Finishing at both ends. PSG scored four from 1.83 xG (FotMob), three of them struck from the edge of the box or further out. City hit the woodwork, had a header cleared off the line, and Haaland missed three big chances (Sofascore). Sofascore puts Donnarumma at −2.13 goals prevented.
Tactical scenes
Maresca changed three players and the shape of his build-up at half-time. Khusanov moved inside, Nunes took right-back, Bouaddi sat next to Anderson and Fernández played a step higher. Ndiaye went to the left and ran at Hakimi, and City's chances came from the wings.
Evidence: Before half-time City had 6 shots, 1 on target (Sofascore); after it they had 21 of their 27. Opta Analyst has 1.78 of City's 2.57 xG coming in the second half. PSG had 5 second-half shots, down from 10 (Sofascore). Opta Analyst: Man City 2-4 PSG stats · Sofascore report · SI player ratings (Khusanov to centre-back, Anderson outnumbered)
Once City pushed up, PSG gave up the ball and defended their box. City went wide and crossed, and Marquinhos and Pacho headed most of it away. Gvardiol had a header cleared off the line, Fernández and Haaland hit the woodwork, and Safonov saved from Haaland late on.
Evidence: City completed 10 of 26 crosses; PSG made 29 clearances to City's 5, with 10 for Marquinhos and 9 for Pacho (Sofascore). City had 52 touches in PSG's box to PSG's 17 (FotMob). Sofascore report · FotMob match page · Man City match report
Recreate it in FM26
Paris Saint-Germain · PSG's first-time passing through a man-to-man press · 4-3-3Show cardHide card
PSG's first-time passing through a man-to-man press
| Pos | Player | In Possession | Out of Possession |
|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Safonov | Goalkeeper | Goalkeeper |
| RB | Hakimi | Wing-Back | Full-Back |
| RCB | Marquinhos | Ball-Playing Centre-Back | Covering Centre-Back |
| LCB | Pacho | Centre-Back | Stopping Centre-Back |
| LB | Mendes | Full-Back | Full-Back |
| DM | Vitinha | Deep-Lying Playmaker | Pressing Defensive Midfielder |
| RCM | Zaïre-Emery | Box-to-Box Midfielder | Pressing Central Midfielder |
| LCM | Ruiz | Midfield Playmaker | Central Midfielder |
| RW | Akliouche | Inside Forward | Tracking Winger |
| ST | Dembélé | False Nine | Centre Forward |
| LW | Doué | Inside Forward | Inside Outlet Winger |
Team instructions
In Possession
- Passing DirectnessShorter
- TempoHigher
- Attacking TransitionCounter-Attack
- Shots from DistanceEncouraged
Out of Possession
- Line of EngagementHigh Press
- Trigger PressMore Often
- Cross EngagementContest
The idea: A 4-3-3 that passes first time through a man-to-man press, with a Deep-Lying Playmaker who can turn under pressure and an Inside Forward who wins his one-on-one. You need a left winger who beats his full-back and midfielders comfortable on the half-turn.
What FM26 can't copy: FM26 can't reproduce how deep PSG sat after half-time with a three-goal lead, or City's finishing.
Our reading of this match in FM26 terms, not an exported tactic file. Role names as in FM26.
What if? Replay it with a different plan
Our best alternative plan: Formation 4-3-3, Mid block, Nunes on at 25' (for Dias), Khusanov inside, Foden on at 60' (for Semenyo). Start with three midfielders, press from a mid block and fix the right side after the second goal. PSG's first half gets much smaller; City probably still need to finish better than they did to win it. It moves Manchester City's win chance from 55% to 73% (xG 2.63–1.83 becomes 2.63–0.98). Try your own changes to formation, pressing, approach and substitutions.
The game-changer Manchester City needed
Phil Foden
City made 1.78 xG after the break and scored twice. Foden's late runs and shots from around the box would have added a finisher next to Haaland, who missed three big chances, in the half City were on top.
Jurriën Timber
PSG's first two goals came down City's right, where Doué kept beating Khusanov one-on-one. Timber defends that duel on his own and still gets forward, which is what City needed until half-time.
What the analysts said
“In two minutes you concede two goals and we lost a bit of balance, distance between players.”Enzo Maresca (Man City)
“We struggled but then in the second half we made changes, adjusted something and we were much better.”Enzo Maresca (Man City)
“Even with 3-0 in the first half, with the amount of chances we created in the second half, we deserved more.”Enzo Maresca (via Reuters)
“We could have lost this match if they scored the chances that they created.”Luis Enrique (AFP, via Flashscore)
“In the first half we were far superior to a great City side.”Luis Enrique (Canal+, via AFP)
“It's pretty much man for man all over the pitch. Any moment you go 50/50 in those challenges or not following your men, they'll exploit it.”Marc Guéhi (Man City)
PSG were deadly in the first half, and City's comeback ran out of time.
What's happening. City lost 2–4 at home to PSG, their first defeat in eight games. PSG were 3–0 up after 32 minutes. City were much better after three half-time changes and Haaland scored twice, but PSG's fourth goal, which Donnarumma got a hand to, left too much to do.
How it works. A man-to-man press asks every player to win his own duel. Against a side that passes first time, one lost duel is enough: the ball goes past the presser and a runner is free behind him. That is how Doué kept getting at Khusanov. At half-time Maresca moved Khusanov inside, put a second holding midfielder next to Anderson and pushed Fernández higher. City had more control and more players near the box, and PSG had to defend deep.
What the shots say. City finished with more xG and far more shots, almost all of them after the break. One reading: City did enough for a draw and finished badly, with Haaland missing three big chances. The other: PSG scored three times from the edge of the box in a half they dominated, then sat on the lead. Both fit. The first half decided the game; the second showed City can hurt this PSG side.