The legendary Manchester City manager was back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since his departure at the end of last season and, well, the announcement of you-know-what. Sporting a flat cap, Guardiola took his seat in the stands behind the City chair, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, and the chief executive, Ferran “Not” Soriano, and, certainly, the TV director seemed intent on scrutinising him – if the number of cutaway shots to him were any guide. Everybody knows where Guardiola stands on the great City scandal; the numerous guilty verdicts handed down to them on the 100-plus charges they have faced for breaking the Premier League’s financial rules.
He has backed his former employers to somehow disprove them. But what did he make of his old team here against the might of the defending European champions, Paris Saint-Germain? Not much in the first half would have been a reasonable conclusion.
PSG played football from a higher plane and they might have led by more than the three unanswered goals they scored. But if defiance has been the theme for City – and it fed into Guardiola’s presence here – they produced plenty more of it during a thrilling second half. City refused to accept the inevitable.
They threw everything at PSG. Erling Haaland ran on adrenaline as City created a flurry of openings. The No 9 was unplayable at times; he finished with two goals and a few near misses.
City were a goal away from worrying PSG. The problem for them was the one that Maghnes Akliouche scored to put PSG 4-1 in front. It meant that City’s dream of an astonishing fightback was only an illusion.
What a terrible concession it was for Gianluigi Donnarumma – and not for the first time. It was a spin and blast from Akliouche on the edge of the area and Donnarumma appeared to have palmed the ball up and away. Except that it dropped all the way back down – quite a way back down – and into the net.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
