Manchester City 2-0 Paris Saint-Germain: 5 talking points as Riyad Mahrez fires City to first UCL final | UEFA Champions League 2020/21

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two
Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two

Manchester City progressed to the UEFA Champions League final for the first time in their history after claiming a 2-0 second-leg win over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s men came into this return leg with one foot in the final after grabbing a 2-1 win in last week’s first leg at the Parc des Princes.

PSG, on the other hand, faced the stern test of overturning the one-goal deficit without the services of star forward Kylian Mbappe, who picked up a calf problem.

In a one-sided affair at the Etihad, Manchester City broke the deadlock after just 11 minutes thanks to a low strike from Riyad Mahrez.

Ederson, who has been credited for his superb distribution of the ball, fired a searching pass into the path of Zinchenko, who chased down the ball before drilling in a low cross to Kevin De Bruyne.

The Belgian international’s shot luckily bounced off PSG's defenders and into the path of Mahrez, who made no mistake with his one-time right-footed shot.

The French champions looked a shadow of themselves as they constantly struggled to find the target.

Manchester City, meanwhile, would continue to dominate proceedings, and their constant probing paid off shortly after the hour mark when Mahrez grabbed his second of the night.

The Algerian international, who scored the winner in the reverse leg, calmly slotted home Phil Foden’s cross to finish off a super counter-attacking display.

A visibly frustrated PSG side resorted to needless poor tackles and this saw them go one man down as Angel di Maria received his marching orders in the 69th minute for a foul on City captain Fernandinho.

Pep Guardiola’s men have now cruised past PSG with a 4-1 aggregate score and will await the result between Chelsea and Real Madrid. On that note, we look at five talking points as Manchester City claim a 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

#5 Paris Saint Germain toothless without Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League Semi Final
Paris Saint-Germain v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League Semi Final

Kylian Mbappe watched from the bench as his side fell to a 2-0 loss against the Premier League leaders. The World Cup winner picked up a calf injury in the reverse leg and, as a result, was sidelined in the weekend win over Lens.

While he was included in Paris Saint-Germain's squad for the second leg, he was only fit enough to start from the bench.

With Mbappe absent, the Ligue 1 champions lacked pace, cutting edge and attacking threat in the final third. They failed to test the Manchester City goalkeeper as they finished the game without a single shot on target.


#4 Manchester City rock-solid in defense

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two
Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two

While the Manchester City attackers have been lauded for their win, their back four undoubtedly played a major role in the victory.

Ruben Dias, who arguably singlehandedly transformed the City defense, once again stood up to the challenge as he dropped a performance of the highest quality.

England full-back Kyle Walker was also at the top of his game, performing brilliantly to keep PSG talisman Neymar at bay. He finished with three clearances, three interceptions and a team-high six tackles.

John Stones and Zinchenko were equally superb, and despite the quality of attackers in the PSG camp, this back four ensured they had no shot on goal through the entire 90 minutes.

#3 Riyad Mahrez drops a stellar performance

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two
Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two

Algerian attacker Riyad Mahrez was one player who made the difference for Manchester City. The former Leicester City man scored the all-important goal to hand Pep Guardiola’s men the win in the reverse leg.

He backed that up with another show of class at the Etihad as he scored a brace to give Manchester City a deserved 4-1 aggregate win.

The 30-year-old opened the scoring with a neatly taken rebound, before finishing off an excellent counter by the hosts. Mahrez has now taken his goal tally in the Champions League to four goals, three of which have come in the semi-final alone.


#2 Manchester City on course for their first-ever treble

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two
Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two

Following the win over Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City are now one win away from their highly sought-after European success.

The Cityzens have already won the Carabao Cup, after a 1-0 win over Tottenham in the finals at Wembley.

Manchester City could also be crowned Premier League champions this week should they take all three points when they square off against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City have claimed a plethora of domestic trophies in recent years but still await their elusive European success. This could come to an end in Istanbul on the 29th of May, when they play their first Champions League final.


#1 Neymar fails to keep his word after poor outing

Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two
Manchester City v Paris Saint-Germain - UEFA Champions League Semi Final: Leg Two

After falling to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg, Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar said that the Ligue 1 champions were still in the tie, promising to lead their comeback.

Speaking in a second-leg pre-match interview, Neymar said:

"I think every Parisian should believe in us! I’m in the front line, and I’ll be the first warrior who goes into battle for the team.
"I will give the best of myself and I will do anything to bring this back no matter what, even if I have to die on the pitch.”

With Kylian Mbappe out injured, PSG's attacking burden rested on the shoulders of Neymar. However, the Brazil international seemed to crack under the pressure.

Neymar was guilty of poor decision making, occasional needless flamboyance, and lack of a leader's charisma.

He was kept at bay by the dogged Manchester City defenders and finished the game without a single effort on target.

Neymar has now failed to lead the Paris giants to a highly sought-after Champions League title for the third year running.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava