Paris Saint-Germain further soured the mood at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City’s first home game since the guilty verdict on widespread flouting of Premier League financial rules ended in a 4-2 Champions League defeat on Wednesday.
The European champions turned on the style to strike three times inside the opening 35 minutes through Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha.
But City stormed back in the second half as Erling Haaland scored twice either side of Maghnes Akliouche’s strike that briefly restored PSG’s three-goal cushion.
City shrugged off the uncertainty over their future to win 3-0 at Liverpool on Sunday and remain top of the Premier League, but PSG showed why they are the favourites to win this competition for a third consecutive season.
Luis Enrique’s decision to leave Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the bench proved to be inspired as it meant Doue started wide on the left.
Gianluigi Donnarumma had a point to prove after the Italian goalkeeper was let go by the PSG coach just months after helping deliver the club’s first Champions League title in 2025.
However, it turned out to be a night to forget for the giant Italian.
Donnarumma was caught out at his near post by Doue’s effort from outside the box after a lightning counter-attack to open the scoring.
The move for the second goal two minutes later was even more impressive as Doue and Dembele exchanged an elaborate one-two before the latter headed in at the far post.
Achraf Hakimi hit the post before Vitinha rattled in PSG’s third from the edge of the box.
Maresca responded with a triple substitution at half-time and managed to salvage some pride, even if the deficit proved too much to overturn.
Antoine Semenyo and Enzo Fernandez missed glaring chances to pull a goal back even before Haaland glanced home a header from Iliman Ndiaye’s cross.
Yet, City were hit by a sucker punch when Donnarumma got a hand to Akliouche’s effort but the ball looped high into the air and spun back into the net.
Nuno Mendes made a brilliant clearance off his own line and Haaland hit the bar before the Norwegian slotted home his second of the night.
Donnarumma saved a late Ferran Torres penalty to deny the French champions a fifth goal.-AFP
RESULTS
LASK 3-6 Liverpool
Feyenoord 3-2 Como
Roma 3-4 Real Madrid
Bodo Glimt 1-0 B. Dortmund
Real Betis 3-2 Porto
Aston Villa 6-0 Fenerbahçe Fenerbahçe
Shakhtar Donetsk 3-1 AEK Athens
Slovan Bratislava 0-3 Stuttgart
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