Sat Jun 13, 2026 4:31
Sport

Manchester City defeats PSG in Champions League semifinal

Manchester City defeats PSG, 2-0, 4-1 on aggregate. City advances to the final on May 29 in Istanbul against the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal match between Chelsea and Real Madrid. Riyad Mahrez emphasized Manchester City’s dominance, Rúben Dias neutralized Paris Saint-Germain’s ambitions and PSG crumbled into a second straight second-half collapse as it bowed out of the Champions League semifinal. City, which won 2-0 on Tuesday and 4-1 on aggregate, will compete in its first Champions League final on May 29. Mahrez struck in the 11th and 63rd minutes, first on a rebound then again off a counterattack. The scores sank a PSG team that entered the match with its head already submerged, down 2-1 on aggregate, largely thanks to its first-leg collapse during which it surrendered a pair of second-half scores and lost Idrissa Gueye to ejection last week. Wednesday’s match featured a similar conclusion, albeit more chippy — four PSG players were shown yellow cards, Ángel Di María was handed a red card in the 69th minute. The dismissal punctuated PSG’s disintegration and ended its quest for a second consecutive final appearance. Paris Saint-Germain were burned — and perhaps bowed — by a scorching 63rd-minute counterattack that ended when Phil Foden slid a sharp pass across the area to Riyad Mahrez for his third goal of this semifinal series. Minutes later, Ángel Di María was shown a red card in the 69th minute when he jabbed Fernandinho’s foot as he fetched a loose ball out of bounds. The ejection, a second in as many Champions League games for PSG, cut Les Parisiens to 10 men with a 4-1 deficit on aggregate. Paris Saint-Germain entered the second leg of its Champions League semifinal in pursuit, looking to close a 2-1 gap and needing at least two goals to advance. Eleven minutes into Wednesday’s match, its chase became more desperate as an early opportunity to equalize dissolved and its deficit grew. PSG pressed high in the early minutes of the match and Manchester City goalkeeper punished Les Parisiens for their ambition. Ederson pumped a long ball to Oleksandr Zinchenko along the nearside. Zinchenko flicked a pass in to an advancing Kevin De Bruyne, whose shot was blocked. But Riyad Mahrez pounced on the rebound and slipped his shot past Keylor Navas. City leads 1-0 on the scoreboard and 3-1 on aggregate. PSG now needs two goals to force extra time. Paris Saint-Germain seemingly had an early opportunity to draw even in the first seven minutes when a PSG cross hit Oleksandr Zinchenko’s shoulder in the penalty area. PSG players argued for a penalty, Zinchenko pleaded his defense, and the infraction was withdrawn upon review. PSG star Kylian Mbappé returned to the bench after halftime and does not appear fit to make an appearance. An uncharacteristically snow-covered pitch in early May has made for a few slips and skids as Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain clash for a spot in the Champions League final in Manchester, England. The day’s weather, cold — 43 degrees Fahrenheit an hour before kickoff — and rainy, has even included hail, which prompted officials to inspect the pitch to see if the game was playable. Snow was shoveled from the pitch before the match. The snow that remains has had a limited impact on gameplay since the opening moments of the match.