PARIS SAINT-GERMAINDonnarumma – 8- He finally got his chance between the bars and proved he’s worth PSG’s ‘1’. A couple of praiseworthy saves demonstrate a high class keeping Donnarumma has been known for with AC Milan. Keylor Navas has got himself a serious contender for the spot in the starting XI.Mendes – 7 – Looked a bit confused in the first half and improved as the game was approaching the end. The lack of experience and the game’s importance affected his display, for sure. We’ll probably see more of him in the next games.Kimpembe – 8 – Teamed up with wonderful Marquinhos, Kimpebe is PSG’s wonderwall. Definitely a bit underrated due to illustrious attacking trio, Kimpembe deserves applause for his perseverance and consistency. With such a centre-back, Pochettino can dream big this season.Marquinhos (c) – 8 – Give this man keys to your home and sleep like a baby. An actual commander, confident and determined. His tackles are such a pleasure to watch, stylish and accurate in every single move. He’s not a captain of a Paris-based dream team by accident.Hakimi – 8 – They paid 60,000,000 euros for him, and it was no mistake. Denied an almost a sure Grealish goal in the first period, with a risky header that went inches wide of the target. Despite playful Grealish, controlled the action on his side of the pitch. Launched Neymar into a lovely counter-attack in the second half.FT: PSG 2-0 Man CityPSG come out on top against City 🤑 pic.twitter.com/hrVyFqeRTw— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 28, 2021 Verratti – 7 – He was like a bee, buzzing all around. Verratti is not the kind of player that brings excitement but works as a genuine coal miner. The hard work was done superbly, putting Rodri away from any possible action.Gueye – 7 – An experienced Senegalese midfielder broke the deadlock only eight minutes into the game. That was a superb finishing, with a zero chance for Ederson to deny it.Herrera – 6 – Naah, we’re not thrilled. Sure, it’s not the easiest job in the world to shine alongside such greats like Messi, Mbappe and Neymar. Still, the Spaniard ought to have more impact on the game than tonight at Parc des Princes.Neymar – 6 – This was not his night. Neymar seemed frustrated under Walker’s constant watch. Unlike Mbappe, he couldn’t find himself at least a cameo to contribute to a victory. We all know he’s capable of much better individual execution.Mbappe – 8 – What a joy to watch him on the pitch! A young Kylian maybe didn’t score against the Citizens, but he was all over the place. He passed, dribbled, ran with and without the ball, even clearances in his own box. Mbappe was the one who made an assist prior to that superb Gueye’s goal and also made Messi’s wondergoal possible. The discreet hero.Messi – 7 – Boom! He nailed it finally and much deservedly. Enormous pressure was on his shoulders, but a mighty magician showed his brilliance once again. He exchanged passes with Mbappe and placed it in his manner to kill the game fifteen minutes before the end. Ok, before it, we didn’t see too much of him, but this goal could be vital for the success of his PSG stint.PSG have NEVER beaten Manchester City until a certain Argentine was on their team 🐐 pic.twitter.com/SUOX1onguG— R (@Lionel30i) September 28, 2021 Messi’s debut goal for PSG seals the win against Manchester CitySubstitutes:Wijnaaldum (from ’78) – (n/a)Pereira (from ’90) – (n/a)Coach: Mauricio Pochettino – 7- If he had lost this game, it could have maybe ended Poch’s PSG tenure. But the Argentine tactician survived and will continue for now. With such a potent attacking force, he ought to win everything, with the City tie being the first major test for him. Guardiola didn’t fool him at all.##EDITORS_CHOICE##MANCHESTER CITY Ederson – 6 – Albeit he conceded two, it would be unfair to say he was lousy tonight. Especially since both Messi and Gueye nailed it perfectly, making Ederson’s job almost impossible. For the rest of the game, he was solid and never showed any signs of insecurity.Laporte – 6 – He witnessed Messi’s maiden goal for the Saints, running for the Argentinian but with no luck whatsoever. He faced plenty of trouble with PSG’s forwards. However, it would be unfair to conclude he was deplorable. Just not good enough for tonight’s opponent.Cancelo – 6 – Task he was given tonight is probably the most difficult short-term assignment you’ll ever come across. To stop Messi. And for most of the game, he was doing it wonderfully. Until the magician showed up and doubled the lead.Walker – 7 – He sacrificed his offensive output to stop Neymar, and guess what? Walker was splendid. Prevented the Brazilian from getting things done, let alone scoring. Bearing that in mind, he deserves credit for the lack of his well-known sprints on the flank. Dias (c) – 6 – A fine one-on-one defending, as always, though City’s defence was on the ropes in the first half amid Gueye’s goal and a couple more decent chances. His heatmap shows the City captain wasn’t afraid to run for Mbappe and Neymar even to the opponent’s area. Just like Ederson, you could hardly blame him for two conceded goals.Rodri – 5 – Probably the worst player tonight. We had to double-check if this guy even attended the game in Paris. PSG’s midfield was outstanding, while Rodri hid somewhere not to be seen for the entirety of the game. Without him on his level, City couldn’t fight back.Silva – 6 – He was very accurate, covered the vast part of the pitch and showed all the skills of a modern-day playmaker, but his back-to-back misses in the middle of the first half will be remembered for good. Woodwork and a crossbar from two or three yards away from the goal are inexcusable.Reports coming out that hakimi is now officially the richest psg player rn as he just recently had 100million in his pocket #PSGCITY pic.twitter.com/WD4hy59Ot3— Lemar ♔ (@L5vsTheworld) September 28, 2021 De Bruyne – 5- Not enough, by any means. A ginger master is someone who needs to step up in this kind of game, but it was one of his worse Champions League performances. That brutal tackle on Gueye could have easily seen him being sent off even before the break. It tells a lot about his nervousness tonight.Mahrez – 6 – ”Stats are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” That saying perfectly describes Ryad Mahrez’s display against PSG. If you take a look at the stats, you’ll see a second to none performance, but his real impact was shy and not sufficient for City’s needs.Grealish – 6 – He was almost unplayable for the first 20 minutes, strolled down the left flank, made several crosses, danced around, and it seemed this could be the making of the new gem. Unfortunately for Grealish and Guardiola, his magic didn’t last for long. Hakimi got a hold on him and didn’t allow any action for the England international before he was subbed in the second half. Sterling – 6- If that header in the first half went in, he would equalise and turn the game around. The crossbar and Donnarumma prevented him from scoring, and an experienced attacker lost his pace later. Marquinhos and Kimpembe were all over the place, while he struggled to even find himself a decent chance at Parc des Princes.Substitutes:Foden (from ’68) – 5- Young Foden, who is still returning from a severe injury, came in less than 30 minutes before the final whistle, replacing Grealish but mostly held back thanks to Hakimi.Jesus (from ’78) – (n/a)Coach: Pep Guardiola – 5- This was his loss by a mile. Aware of the deadliest trio ever – Messi, Mbappe, Neymar – Pep focused a bit more on defending. That part of his homework was well done, but the Citizens simply couldn’t find the back of the net. His subs failed to make a serious impact.
