Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has admitted that conceding two quick goals against Paris Saint-Germain affected his team’s confidence during their Champions League encounter on Wednesday night.
City suffered their first defeat in all competitions this season after losing to the French champions, despite a second-half fightback led by Erling Haaland, who scored twice.
PSG took control of the match before half-time through goals from Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha, leaving City with a significant deficit to overcome.
Haaland pulled one back with a flicked header, but Maghnes Akliouche restored PSG’s three-goal advantage. The Norwegian striker later completed his brace, although his efforts were not enough to prevent City from losing the match.
Speaking after the game, Maresca said his side had started positively but struggled to recover emotionally after conceding twice in quick succession.
“We started well but conceded the two quick goals and that created bad feelings,” the City manager said.
He added that the team’s performance improved after the interval and argued that City had done enough in the second half to deserve a better outcome.
“In the second half we were much better and deserved something more,” Maresca said.
The manager explained that City had been competitive before PSG scored their opening goal, but the rapid succession of goals made the contest significantly more difficult.
“It was strange as until the first goal we played good, we were in the game. It was very difficult and then when you concede two goals in two minutes it becomes even worse,” he stated.
Maresca also revealed that he made tactical adjustments at half-time to help City regain control of the contest. These included changes to the team’s pressing approach and its play in possession.
“We adjusted something at half-time and didn’t lose the balance. We adjusted the way we pressed and what we did on the ball,” he said.
Despite Haaland’s two goals and City’s improved second-half display, PSG maintained their advantage to secure the victory.
The defeat ended City’s unbeaten run in all competitions this season and left Maresca with questions to address as his team seeks to respond in its upcoming fixtures.
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