Paris Saint-Germain defeated Manchester City 4-2 in a Champions League thriller at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, extending their dominance as defending European champions.
Luis Enrique’s side blitzed City with three first-half goals: Désiré Doué opened the scoring with a near-post strike after a rapid counterattack, Ousmane Dembélé headed in from a one-two exchange, and Vitinha fired in from the edge of the box to make it 3-0 by the 32nd minute. City rallied after halftime, with Erling Haaland scoring twice—his first in the 53rd minute made him the fastest player to reach 60 Champions League goals, in 60 games. Maghnes Akliouche restored PSG’s three-goal lead with a long-range effort that Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to keep out, though the goalkeeper later atoned by saving Ferran Torres’ late penalty.
The match unfolded amid off-field turmoil for City, playing their first home game since an independent commission found the club guilty of more than 100 financial rule breaches. Former City manager Pep Guardiola attended in solidarity, sitting alongside chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and CEO Ferran Soriano. City fans displayed defiance with a pre-match video and a banner reading “City Till I Die,” but the on-field performance fell short against PSG’s attacking prowess.
PSG remain top of the Champions League league-phase table, with their next fixture against Barcelona on Tuesday .
