Manchester City on brink of Champions League elimination after spectacular collapse against PSG

Manchester City’s turbulent season took another major knock on Wednesday after it suffered a calamitous 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League group stage. The loss means the reigning English Premier League champion is now on the brink of elimination from the tournament, needing a win in its last group game against Club Brugge to stand any chance of progression. But the defeat also speaks to larger problems at the club, with the rainy night in Paris exposing all of its frailties this season. City, in recent seasons, has been a winning machine. Under Pep Guardiola, arguably the greatest manager in the history of soccer, the team has seemed unbeatable at times but it’s now a mere shadow of its former self. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – APRIL 11: Erling Haaland of Manchester City celebrates after scoring the team’s third goal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal first leg match between Manchester City and FC Bayern München at Etihad Stadium on April 11, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

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It should have been a comfortable night against PSG, having gone two goals up through Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish in the second half. But, as has been an unwanted trend this season, City threw away its advantage with PSG scoring four goals to turn the result around. “They (PSG) were better, and we have to accept it,” Guardiola told reporters after the match. “We have the last chance at home against Brugge and we will do everything there. If not, it’s because we don’t deserve it.” Despite going ahead, City continued to look vulnerable against PSG’s pace – with Bradley Barcola proving particularly hard to handle. The 22-year-old showed his electric pace when setting up Ousmane Dembélé for PSG’s first goal in the 56th minute, and then scored himself four minutes later to draw level. João Neves then headed in at the back post to give the host the lead in the 78th minute, before Gonçalo Ramos completed the rout in injury time. “We had our moments and they had their moments, but they were better,” Guardiola told TNT Sports. “They were quicker, faster, they won the duels, we could not cope. They were fast. The best team won. The game was never like we wanted.” Pep Guardiola says PSG was the better team and deserved to win. Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images City now sits 25th in the Champions League table, just outside the playoff qualification spots, having managed just eight points from its seven group games so far. Elsewhere on Wednesday, Bayern Munich suffered a surprise 3-0 defeat to Dutch club Feyenoord as its bid to qualify automatically for the knockout stages took a hit. The top eight clubs progress straight through to the next round and Bayern now sits in 15th, one point behind those in the automatic places. Two goals from Santiago Giménez and one from Ayase Ueda secured the famous win for Feyenoord who now leapfrogs Bayern, sitting 11th in the table. Six-time European champion Bayern plays Slovan Bratislava in the final round of fixtures, needing some luck from other games to qualify in the top 8. Those clubs who finish in the playoff berths – between ninth and 24th – will play another two-legged fixture to determine whether they reach the knockout stages.

Real Madrid back in form

It’s a similar story for Spanish giant Real Madrid which thrashed Red Bull Salzburg 5-1 on Wednesday. Braces from Rodrygo and Vinícius Jr., plus a goal from Kylian Mbappé, moved the 15-time champion up to 16th in the table, as it recovers some form in a competition it’s dominated in the last decade. Vinícius Jr. scored a brace for Los Blancos as Real Madrid cruised to a 5-1 win over RB Salzburg. JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Los Blancos have lost three times in the group stage this season and looked in danger of not qualifying for the next round at one point. Now, though, a playoff spot is secured and there is still an outside chance Madrid goes through automatically should it beat Brest on January 29. “We have to play the last game and see where we are. There isn’t much to think about,” Carlo Ancelotti told reporters after the game. “We have to try to beat Brest in the last game and see where we are in the standings. It’ll be very difficult to finish in the top eight.”

Wednesday’s full Champions League scores

Home vs away RB Leipzig 2-1 Sporting CP Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Brest AC Milan 1-0 Girona Arsenal 3-0 Dinamo Zagreb Celtic 1-0 Young Boys Feyenoord 3-0 Bayern Munich PSG 4-2 Manchester City Real Madrid 5-1 Red Bull Salzburg Sparta Prague 0-1 Inter Milan

Source: edition.cnn.com