Guardiola accepts PSG were better after City’s collapse

Pep Guardiola admitted his Manchester City side “could not cope” with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to the French side on Wednesday, leaving their Champions League hopes on the brink.

“They were better. We have to accept it, we have the last chance at home against Bruges. We will do everything there and if we don’t it is because we don’t deserve it,” Guardiola told reporters after the match at the Parc des Princes.

“They were better, we have to accept it. It’s sport and it is like that.”

City had taken control as Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland both scored early in the second half for the visitors.

However, Ousmane Dembele pulled one back and Bradley Barcola equalised on the hour mark for PSG, who then went in front through a Joao Neves header on 78 minutes and wrapped up the win in stoppage time when Goncalo Ramos got their fourth goal.

PSG move above City in the standings, leaving Guardiola’s team 25th out of 36 teams with eight points from seven games.

Only the top 24 qualify for the knockout phase, but City host Club Brugge in their final league phase fixture next Wednesday and a win in that match should suffice for the 2023 European champions to progress to the play-off round.

Before that City host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday in a key game in the fight for a top-four finish domestically.

“I knew it would be tough. PSG is an exceptional team. We could not cope,” added Guardiola, who pointed to the home side having an extra man in midfield as being key.

“I would like to say differently but when one team plays better you have to accept it.

“Now we have to prepare for a tough game against Chelsea and of course the final against Bruges. Try to move forward. I know the players gave everything.”

It remains to be seen if Ruben Dias will feature in either of those games after the Portuguese defender came off at half-time in Paris.

“He asked to be replaced because he didn’t feel good,” the coach said of Dias, who has only just returned from a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

PSG had been let down by their inability to score goals in this season’s Champions League but everything clicked on Wednesday, when they produced a brilliant fightback to beat City and finally kickstart their campaign.

Semi-finalists last season, PSG came into their penultimate game of the league phase in real danger of an early exit, sitting one point and two places outside the qualifying spots for next month’s play-off round. Their plight worsened when, after a good first-half showing, they fell 2-0 behind within eight minutes of the second half starting.

PSG had scored only three goals in their first five matches in this season’s Champions League — one of which was an own goal — as they made a habit of dominating games but squandering chances.

They suffered defeats against Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich before being boosted by a 3-0 win away at Red Bull Salzburg in their last European outing in December.

Doing the same against City appeared a far greater challenge, however.

Nevertheless, they were rapidly back on level terms thanks to goals by Dembele and Barcola, before Neves put them ahead on 78 minutes and Goncalo Ramos wrapped up a remarkable win at the death.

“I thought it was a complete performance, even when we were 2-0 down,” said coach Luis Enrique after getting one over Guardiola, his close friend and former Barcelona teammate.

“This game will strengthen my team. We are a young side, but we showed that we are ready to compete and that they will not give up ever.”

The energy with which PSG played was breathless, their pressing suffocating the English champions, with diminutive Portuguese playmaker Neves outstanding in midfield.

“Magic at last,” was the headline on the front of French sports daily L’Equipe on Thursday, a reference to an adjective PSG fans like to use to describe their team but which has not often been appropriate in Europe this season.

A team that has struggled, understandably, to replace the gaping hole left in attack by the departure of Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid came good with four goals in less than 40 second-half minutes.