Early this morning, the semi-final match of the Champions League 2 between PSG and Man City took place with a 2-1 victory for coach Pep Guardiola and his team. With 2 goals from De Bruyne and Mahrez, Man City won their 6th consecutive Champions League match this season, thereby leveling Leeds' impressive record in the European Cup 1969/700.
The impressive comeback gave Man City a huge advantage before the return match in 1 week. Not only did they score 2 away goals as capital, they also maintained their strength, while PSG will lose Idrissa Gueye for a red card in the 77th minute. It can be said that the Etihad team is very close to a ticket to the Champions League final this season.
However, coach Pep Guardiola is still very cautious. In the post-match press conference, the Spanish strategist said that he and his students could not celebrate yet, because with their class, PSG could completely make a difference in the second leg.
We have to face the team that scored 4 goals at Camp Nou and 3 goals in Munich. PSG have shown that they can do whatever they want. The squad they own is of good quality enough to achieve this goal.
That is also the reason why we had to be cautious at the start of the match. After the first half, I did not complain about anything about the players. I understand they are feeling a great responsibility in the fight for a ticket to the Champions League final.
I'm sure the return match at the Etihad will be very different, because Mauricio Pochettino will review today's match and learn lessons. We also have to re-evaluate our performance, see if the whole team needs to change anything to play smoother and more decisively.
I think the most important thing is that we must be ourselves and not be afraid of anything. If we lose and don't play in the final, we will do it again next season. However, at the moment, we have to try our best.
Now, we will rest a little. I feel happy because the players are very calm in the dressing room. We are not celebrating because we know which scenarios can happen in the second leg, Pep said.
The second leg of the semi-final between Man City and PSG will take place at 2:00 am on September 5 at the Etihad Stadium.