Paris Saint-Germain defeated Manchester City 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium, recording their first-ever victory at the venue and extending their unbeaten run in the UEFA Champions League to 12 matches.
The French champions produced a devastating first-half display to establish a three-goal lead before surviving a second-half fightback inspired by Erling Haaland, whose brace could not prevent City from suffering defeat.
PSG raced into a 3-0 lead within 32 minutes through Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha, exposing City’s defensive weaknesses and putting the hosts under immediate pressure.
Manchester City nearly opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Matvey Safonov tipped the ball onto the crossbar. Antoine Semenyo fired the rebound over the goal, while Marc Guehi was penalised for a foul on the PSG goalkeeper.
PSG struck first less than two minutes later. Fabian Ruiz released Doue on a counter-attack, and the winger cut inside from the left before firing a powerful shot into the bottom-left corner.
The visitors doubled their advantage just 99 seconds later when Doue and Dembele combined brilliantly, allowing the French forward to head home from close range.
Vitinha subsequently tested Gianluigi Donnarumma, while Achraf Hakimi came close to adding another goal with a header that struck the woodwork.
PSG eventually made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute when Vitinha struck a first-time effort from the edge of the penalty area.
The result marked the first time since Liverpool’s 4-1 victory over City in 2015 that the Manchester side had conceded three first-half goals in a competitive home match.
City struggled to respond before the break, with Josko Gvardiol missing the target with a header and Jeremy Doku producing an effort that Safonov comfortably saved.
The hosts made three substitutions at half-time, introducing Matheus Nunes, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye in an attempt to revive their performance.
The changes quickly paid off as Ndiaye delivered a cross that Haaland headed past Safonov in the 53rd minute, reducing the deficit and giving City renewed hope.
Semenyo struck the crossbar from an offside position, while Ndiaye also threatened as the hosts increased the pressure in search of another goal.
However, a costly mistake by Donnarumma dealt City’s comeback hopes another blow. The goalkeeper got a hand to Maghnes Akliouche’s shot but could only push the ball upwards and into the net, failing to recover it before it crossed the line.
City continued to press, with Gvardiol seeing an effort cleared off the goal line and Enzo Fernandez hitting the woodwork. Haaland also rattled the crossbar with a powerful header.
The Norwegian striker eventually scored again 57 seconds later, calmly finishing Bouaddi’s cutback to make it 4-2 and set up a tense finish.
Haaland nearly completed his hat-trick in the 83rd minute, but his sliding attempt went straight at Safonov.
Former Manchester City striker Ferran Torres then missed an opportunity to extend PSG’s lead after sending a penalty towards Donnarumma. The spot-kick had been awarded following Nunes’ foul on Nuno Mendes, but the goalkeeper saved the effort.
Despite City’s late pressure, PSG held on to secure a memorable victory at the Etihad.
Haaland Reaches Champions League Milestone
Although City lost, Haaland reached a significant personal milestone by surpassing Sergio Aguero to become Manchester City’s all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with his opening goal.
His second strike took his tally in the competition to 61 goals in 60 appearances, including 38 goals in 41 matches for City.
Manchester City finished the contest with 27 shots and an expected goals (xG) figure of 2.57, including 1.78 generated in the second half.
Haaland registered eight attempts, while Semenyo recorded six and Ndiaye managed four. However, City’s improved attacking display after the interval was not enough to overturn the damage caused by PSG’s dominant opening period.
The defeat was a setback for City, while PSG strengthened their position in the Champions League with a victory built on clinical finishing, attacking movement and resilience under pressure.
