Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Sport
Tom Doyle

Mauricio Pochettino, PSG rue game of ‘two different halves’ after Man City comeback in Paris

Mauricio Pochettino was left to rue a game of “two different halves” as Paris Saint-Germain allowed Manchester City to take control of their Uefa Champions League semi-final tie.

City produced a superb second-half fightback to claim a 2-1 advantage after the first leg against 10-man PSG in Paris.

The Premier League leaders were stung by an early Marquinhos goal as the hosts dominated the first half of a high-quality encounter at the Parc des Princes.

But City responded brilliantly with Kevin De Bruyne equalising after 64 minutes and Riyad Mahrez firing home a free-kick soon after.

PSG lost their discipline as City threatened to score more in a strong finish, and Idrissa Gana Gueye was shown a straight red card for a poor challenge on Ilkay Gundogan.

Pochettino was disappointed that his side had been dominated after the break, telling BT Sport: “They were two different halves. The first half, we did well.

“It’s difficult to eliminate a team like Manchester City, but we created chances and I think we deserved to go into the dressing room with an advantage.

“But second half, they were better than us and they dominated and two accidents, two goals. In the second half, they dominated and they created more than us. It was one half for each.”

Pochettino vowed to go for broke when the teams meet again at the Etihad Stadium next week.

AFP via Getty Images

He said: “In football, you need to believe and go there in six days and try to approach the game like today, try to win, to score goals.

“Of course, the advantage is a little bit with Manchester City, but in football always you need to try.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.