Oasis star looks on in horror as Man City cop a hiding
Oasis star Noel Gallagher and iconic manager Pep Guardiola watched on in horror as Manchester City were humbled in a 4-2 Champions League home loss to two-time defending champions Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday (AEST).
City - who have been found guilty of “sham” contracts and widespread financial wrongdoing - are top of the Premier League and have not dropped a single point after six games.
Musician Noel Gallagher grimaces. AP Photo/Dave Thompson
This was the embattled club’s first home match since an independent panel found that it broke Premier League rules by artificially inflating its revenue by more than $1.4 billion over nearly a decade on its way to dominating English football.
Hopes at Etihad Stadium were high after a 3-0 victory over Liverpool but PSG silenced the crowd with some breathtaking football, leading 3-0 after 32 minutes before Erling Haaland restored some respectability to the scoreline with two second half goals.
“Against this kind of team it’s already difficult when you are 0-0 and then in two minutes you concede two goals, probably we lost a little bit of balance,” City manager Enzo Maresca said.
“I think we can learn many things. First of all even if we concede two goals against probably the best team in Europe in this moment, we need to continue to do the right things.
“I think we start quite good until the first goal (from Désiré Doué in the 13th minute) and then we concede the second one (from Ousmane Dembélé) after one minute. That created some bad feelings. Second half, we were much better and probably deserved something more.
“Luis (Enrique, PSG’s manager) said at the end of the game that they were quite lucky today. You have to be clinical but not lose the balance. We are sorry for the first half for sure.”
Maghnes Akliouche’s 63rd minute goal, in between Haaland’s, effectively ensured there would be no comeback and Ferran Torres then failed to score a fifth for the visitors from the penalty spot.
“It’s not important to be the best in the competition now, it’s important to be the best in the final,” Enrique said.
In what could be interpreted as their latest display of defiance, City produced a slick pre-match show reminding supporters of the good times with footage of its most iconic moments on the big screens.
But with former City manager Guardiola watching on from the stands, PSG’s first-half blitz sobered the atmosphere.
The Emirati-owned club have pleaded their innocence and this was the first chance to put on a show of solidarity at their home stadium since the verdict.
A huge banner was hung with the words: “I know I am, I’m sure I am, I’m City til I die.”
The highlight reel included Sergio Aguero's famous title-winning goal in 2012 as well as other moments predating the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.
In the stands, Guardiola - on his first return to the club since stepping down at the end of last season - sat behind club chief executive Ferran Soriano.
Rüdiger saves Madrid
Elsewhere, Antonio Rüdiger was Real Madrid’s unlikely hero on his return to Roma with a last-minute winner for a 4-3 victory.
The home fans paid tribute to returning coach José Mourinho, then celebrated wildly as their team took a 3-1 lead.
Marten de Roon scored Roma’s opener with a well-struck effort from distance in the 20th minute, before Kylian Mbappé equalised with a deflected shot in the 25th on his 100th appearance in the competition.
At 27, he’s the youngest player to reach the ton.
Donyell Malen answered twice – restoring Roma’s lead in the 51st minute and getting his second six minutes later.
But Madrid substitutes Carlos Espí and Endrick scored within three minutes from the 85th to tie the game, then Rüdiger scored from close range after a corner.
Barcola hat trick for Liverpool
Bradley Barcola scored a hat trick as Liverpool coasted to a 6-3 win at Austria’s LASK.
They were his first goals for the club since joining from PSG in the off-season.
Ronald Araújo also got his first Liverpool goal as he broke the deadlock with a header from a corner, less than two minutes before Barcola scored in the 24th minute from a lay-off by Lewis Koumas.
Ryan Gravenberch struck the post before Barcola got his second in the 37th minute, finishing with aplomb after being played through by Florian Wirtz.
Jeremie Frimpong, one of the smallest players on the field, headed Liverpool’s fourth in off the right post in the 51st minute.
Robert Ljubičić pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute, a minute after going on as a substitute, before Frimpong gave Barcola a simple tap-in to complete his hat trick in the 66th.
Koumas was left free to get Liverpool’s sixth six minutes later – it was the 21-year-old forward's first Liverpool goal.
But Florian Flecker – another LASK substitute – got the biggest cheer when he scored his team’s second with a diving header in the 74th minute, four minutes before he got another to complete the scoring.
Villa hit six against Fenerbahçe
Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley both scored twice in a 6-0 rout for Aston Villa over Fenerbahçe.
Switzerland winger Johan Manzambi opened the scoring, on his first Champions League appearance, on his 21st birthday.
Tammy Abraham completed Villa’s biggest ever European win.
Fredrik Sjøvold’s second-half strike was enough for Bodø/Glimt to upset Borussia Dortmund 1-0, Stuttgart won 3-0 at Slovan Bratislava, and Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk recovered to beat AEK Athens 3-1 in a ‘home’ game at Chelsea’s ground in London.
Earlier, Anis Hadj Moussa scored twice as Dutch leader Feyenoord came from behind to beat visiting Como 3-2.
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