In one of the most hotly anticipated first round games of this UEFA Champions League season, Wednesday’s tangle between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain did not disappoint.
Played in a torrential downpour in France’s glittering capital, PSG overcame a 2-0 second half deficit, scoring four straight goals at Parc des Princes en route to a famous 4-2 win.
Elsewhere in Europe, Dutch power Feyenoord stunned visiting Bayern Munich 3-0, Arsenal took care of business by the same score against Dinamo Zagreb in London, trophy holders Real Madrid trounced FC Salzburg 5-0, and AC Milan topped Spanish club Girona.
Here are three big takeaways following Wednesday‘s games.
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Man City-PSG more than matched the hype
From the moment the inaugural Leagues Phase schedule was announced late last summer, this marquee contest was circled on calendars across planet futbol. The action was fierce from the start, and the soggy conditions only added to the star-studded spectacle.
After an apparent Achraf Hakimi goal on the stroke of halftime was called back by VAR for offside, City strikes by Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland shortly after the break seemed to have the visitors on their way.
But the floodgates opened for the hosts when Osumane Dembélé pulled one back three minutes after Haaland’s tally. Strikes by Bradley Barcola and Joao Neves then sent the home side in front against the shellshocked Premier League champs, which had zero answers. PSG added the exclamation point in stoppage time, with Gonçalo Ramos’ textbook finish allowed to stand following review.
Ramos’ shot was the home team’s 26th of the evening; for the dominant Parisians, the victory was fully deserved.
For Man City, this was the latest indignity in a season full of them. With just one first round match remaining, at home to Belgium’s Club Brugge on Jan. 29, the 2023 European champs sit 25th in the 36-team standings. Pep Guardiola’s squad must now win that match or risk being eliminated before the knockout stage even begins. Back in September, who would’ve predicted that?
Three hugely important points for Arsenal
With 2023’s losing Champions League Inter Milan on the way to a 1-0 at Sparta Prague, the Gunners had to keep pace by securing all three points at home against Dinamo Zagreb. They got off to a dream start through Declan Rice less than two minutes in, but the Croatians kept it tight after that. It took more than an hour for Kai Havertz to double Arsenal’s advantage:
The truth is that Martin Odegaard’s third in second half stoppage time probably flattered the hosts. Still, a 3-0 win never hurts a team’s confidence, and this one was good enough to vault the Premier Leaguers back into third place in the table, just ahead of Inter on goal difference. A Gunners win at Girona on the eighth and final first round matchday will now send them into second if Barcelona drops its “league” phase finale versus Atalanta later this month.
AC Milan prevails as Christian Pulisic returns
In danger of missing out on the business end of the tournament after a slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, the Rossoneri are all but guaranteed an automatic place in the round of 16 with Wednesday’s win. Portuguese star Rafael Leão converted the decisive tally eight minutes before the intermission:
While that ended up being the only goal Milan would manage, the Spanish visitors never really seemed to have an equalizer in them.
The best news of the day from an American perspective — besides USMNT defenders Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty leading Celtic to a potentially knockout stage clinching late 1-0 triumph over Swiss outfit Young Boys — was the sight of Christian Pulisic subbing into the contest late on. Pulisic was pulled at halftime of Milan’s 2-1 win over Coma and missed last weekend’s 2-0 loss to Juventus (and fellow U.S. standouts Weston McKennie and Tim Weah) with a calf injury.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports who has covered the United States men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him at @ByDougMcIntyre.
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