Manchester City left the Etihad Stadium with a Champions League defeat that felt harsher than the second-half football they produced, as Enzo Maresca reflected on a 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain after his side had trailed by three goals at the interval.
PSG had built a 3-0 advantage before the break in Manchester, taking control after City had made what Maresca considered a promising start. The City coach felt the contest turned rapidly once the French visitors scored their opener and then struck again almost immediately.
“We started quite well until the first goal,” Maresca said. “Then we conceded the second one around a minute later, and that created a bad feeling.”
The home side altered their pressing during half-time and found a stronger response after the restart. City reduced the deficit but could not complete a comeback, with PSG ultimately leaving England with a 4-2 victory.
Maresca believed the balance of chances in the second period offered grounds for regret. “It was a little strange, to be honest,” he said. “At half-time we made some adjustments to the press. Even though we were 3-0 down in the first half, with the number of chances we created in the second half, we probably deserved more.”
The Italian also revealed that PSG coach Luis Enrique had acknowledged City’s misfortune in the closing exchanges, telling him after the match that his team had been “quite lucky” on the night.
