Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
MANCHESTER CITY are in danger of crashing out of the Champions League after surrendering a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 at Paris St Germain.
Jack Grealish looked to have put the 2023 winners on course for a crucial victory at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday after coming off the bench to score and set up another goal for Erling Haaland.
Yet in a dramatic second half, the hosts quickly levelled through Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola before a Joao Neves header put PSG ahead 12 minutes from time.
Goncalo Ramos had the final say in a pulsating contest played in pouring rain when his fine strike was given after a lengthy VAR check in stoppage time.
The defeat leaves City outside the top 24 in the league phase of the competition and needing to beat Club Brugge in their last game next week to reach the play-off round.
PSG, who had been the better team in the first half and had a goal disallowed, leapfrogged Pep Guardiola’s side to keep their own chances of progressing alive.
With both sides having struggled in the competition, there had been an obvious tension in the build-up but PSG, feeding on a lively atmosphere, started well.
Desire Doue tested Ederson in the opening minutes and Ruben Dias was booked for crudely halting a charge from the dangerous Achraf Hakimi. Neves headed over from the resulting free-kick.
City threatened when Phil Foden had a shot blocked and Kevin De Bruyne’s follow-up was pushed away by Gianluigi Donnarumma. Haaland also headed tamely at the keeper.
PSG went close again when a long-range Hakimi effort was saved by Ederson and Vitinha had a shot deflected wide. Fabian Ruiz looked certain to score from the resulting corner but Josko Gvardiol cleared off the line.
City survived a major scare on the stroke of half-time as Nuno Mendes got behind the defence and squared across the box for Barcola to tee up Hakimi. The Moroccan drove powerfully into the net but City were reprieved moments later when VAR showed Mendes marginally offside in the build-up.
The visitors capitalised on the reprieve as they stunned PSG with two goals inside the opening eight minutes of the second half.
Their first came after Manuel Akanji beat Mendes to set up Bernardo Silva. The Portuguese’s effort was blocked by Donnarumma but Grealish, introduced at the break, pounced on the rebound to smash home from close range.
Grealish was involved again as City doubled their lead moments later. This time he was the provider as his cutback was deflected into the path of Haaland at the back post. The Norwegian made no mistake with a typically emphatic finish.
Yet as quickly as City had built their position of strength, they managed to squander it.
PSG’s own half-time substitute Dembele was soon into the action, racing on to a ball from Barcola on the left to sweep home after 56 minutes.
That lifted the crowd and City were undone again on the hour as Doue struck the bar. The ball bounced back towards Barcola and he deftly clipped back over Ederson to score off the post.
PSG now had the bit between their teeth and went close again as Neves fired narrowly over and Dembele thumped another effort against the woodwork.
City were struggling to get the ball out of their own half as PSG continued to attack in waves.
They broke through again in the 78th minute as Neves stooped low to meet a Vitinha free-kick and head past Ederson.
There was no way back for City, who had another let-off when a Dembele goal was disallowed. VAR did not come to their rescue in stoppage time, however, as Ramos’ effort was ruled onside.
Meanwhile, Celtic qualified for the play-off phase after a late own goal earned a deserved 1-0 win over Young Boys.
Visiting captain Loris Benito knocked the ball into his own net in the 86th minute after substitute Adam Idah’s effort was saved by goalkeeper Marvin Keller following Reo Hatate’s excellent through ball.
Kyogo Furuhashi had three first-half goals disallowed and Arne Engels had a penalty saved as Celtic dominated the first hour against the Swiss side, who remain without a point at the foot of the table.
Celtic had to negotiate the closing stages without Daizen Maeda, who saw a yellow card upgraded to red following a VAR review after he kicked out at Mohamed Ali Camara.
A draw would have left Celtic potentially needing a result at Villa Park next Wednesday but the late goal propelled them up to 18th place, level on 12 points with Juventus, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund above them.
A win in Birmingham next week would likely see Celtic claim one of the seeded places in the play-off round, if not a top-eight finish and direct entry to the last 16.
The late slice of luck was no less than Celtic deserved for a performance that was full of verve for 60 minutes. Midfielders Callum McGregor, Engels and Hatate dominated play and Celtic found spaces through the visiting back four right from the start.
Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn got round the outside with regularity but the deliveries were not quite falling for Furuhashi.
The Japan forward’s first offside goal came inside six minutes following a pass from Engels and Kuhn soon got in behind following McGregor’s pass but saw his shot deflected wide after skipping past three men.
Hatate and Furuhashi shot wide from half-chances before Kasper Schmeichel made his only first-half stop to beat away Joel Monteiro’s 25-yard strike.
Maeda claimed for a penalty after getting in front of Cheikh Niasse and Hatate had a shot pushed past the post after driving play from McGregor.
Furuhashi then had two goals chalked off inside two minutes just after the half-hour mark. The first was initially given after McGregor robbed Niasse and set up the centre-forward to wrongfoot the goalkeeper but Norwegian referee Rohit Saggi penalised the Celtic captain for a foul following a VAR review.
Furuhashi was then flagged offside again after converting Maeda’s cross from close range.
Engels’ weak penalty was saved in the 41st minute after Greg Taylor had his shirt pulled but the Belgian shook off the miss to create several chances from set-pieces before the break. Furuhashi and Hatate, twice, came close.
The pressure continued after the interval. Engels, Maeda and McGregor had shots saved and Auston Trusty headed against the bar before Celtic almost got hit by a sucker punch only for Schmeichel to pull off a brilliant double stop from Darian Males.
Celtic’s energy levels started to dip and Brendan Rodgers made some changes in a bid to regain the impetus, Alex Valle and Paulo Bernardo coming on midway through the half before Idah replaced Furuhashi.
There was no immediate impact and visitors threatened from some set-pieces but Idah’s run in behind led to the goal and Schmeichel saved from Sandro Lauper in the final second of stoppage-time.
UEFA Champions League results on Wednesday:
RB Leipzig (GER) 2 (Sesko 19, Poulsen 78) Sporting Lisbon (POR) 1 (Gyokeres 75)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) 2 (Kevin 18, Sudakov 37-pen) Brest (FRA) 0
Real Madrid (ESP) 5 (Rodrygo 23, 34, Mbappe 48, Vinicius 55, 77) RB Salzburg (AUT) 1 (Bidstrup 85)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) 4 (Dembele 56, Barcola 60, Neves 78, Ramos 90+6) Manchester City (ENG) 2 (Grealish 50, Haaland 53)
Sparta Prague (CZE) 0 Inter Milan (ITA) 1 (Martinez 12)
Arsenal (ENG) 3 (Rice 2, Havertz 66, Odegaard 90+2) Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) 0
Celtic (SCO) 1 (Benito 86-og) Young Boys (SUI) 0
Feyenoord (NED) 3 (Gimenez 21, 45+9-pen, Ueda 89) Bayern Munich (GER) 0
AC Milan (ITA) 1 (Leao 37) Girona (ESP) 0
Written by The 42 and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
A new building firm called McAteer & Fitzpatrick construction will get the contract.
I get it, I see what you did there!
“finish what Anglo started” sounds like something out of Goodfellas
Everyone should google, Who appointed Patrick Neary Financial Regulator and read this guy’s history? How he got the job, is obvious that he was picked to sleep on the job and be in a coma!
One of NAMA’s finest will be in for the job no doubt?
Will look pretty cool when it’s finished
As long as the offices look good, who care how madly managed the institution is?
I’m saying it will look good, does everything have to have a begruding context to it?
@polar bear!!
I’m afraid it usually does !!
And the staff will look for disturbance money for moving a mile down the road. 10 grand each should cover it.
I hear that Patrick Neary says that if he had these lovely shiny, bright and prestigious offices he could have easily regulated the Banks.
Now we have the CBI focused on prestigious offices in a landmark location while the Banks succumb to the mortal wounds they self inflicted.
It’s a pity that we Irish focus on the baubles, the shiny stuff and fail to recognise that it is not the buildings and offices that count but the integrity and independence of the personnel working there.
Of course I begrudge the CBI the folly of these premises. I would prefer the money to be spent on health services at point of supply, on building social housing and for truly worthy purposes. Think what Peter McVerry could do with this money. Our priorities are wrong and aesthetic quality is a luxury we can’t afford.
The main responsibilities of this incompetent institution now reside in Frankfurt. Can we not simply disband this useless quango?
Eric, good point. These are going to be very expensive offices for mere puppets.
I see no sign that the CBI has acquired any competence or capability.
After the Banks have failed, this body may have little to do.
In 2004, the regulation of the supply of credit in the public interest, the previous statutory responsibility of the CBI, was abolished.
A country with sh1tty hospitals and gleaming central banks, you can see where things are going.
Best comment in a long time.
The symbolism of a failed and grossly unfit for purpose Central Bank of Ireland inhabiting the intended HQ of a recklessly and grossly mismanaged Bank is pretty plain.
No one can accuse the CBI of lacking a sense of irony although it may just be a lack of sound sense.
What are the plans,if any, for the Central Bank’s current monstrosity on Dame Street?
A Viking museum?
Laughing!
Starbucks
Padraig – in answer to your question of what they should do?
They should be made rebuild what was there before the monstrosity , where the green bus is in this pic is what torn down to build it.
http://www.photography.paul-walsh.net/landscape/Cushman/images/11a.jpg
Apartments for leprechains
The new headquarters for the Leprechaun museum.
A massive Burger King.
Occupy Dame Street offices
Wetherspoons
Apparently Facebook were looking at it Padraig. Not sure if they went any further than looking at it though.
I hear it’s becoming the worlds first ten story Starbucks…
Apple were interested in it too. They’re looking for a large building in central Dublin.
Library wasn’t it?
The central bank on Dame street is actually a fine example of brutalist architecture in Dublin and is a very well engineered structure! May not be popular now, but tearing down buildings such as these will do long term damage to Dublins architectural diversity!
A nice monument to our unelected masters.
Hope new Central Bank Building has an Interpretive Centre in its basement, for visitors on the Dublin Tourist circuit to learn of the follies of our past overlords.
A replica of our past Banking Regulator’s desk and easy-chair to sit centre stage.
Maybe Sean Quinn could put in a submission?
Failing that, perhaps Tom McFeeley could help them out.
A monument to ego and hubris is a fitting place for the CBI.
Finish what Anglo started? You mean the complete and utter devastation of the countries banking system and public finances…
Some bust developer will get a nice number there,boi
Surely it won’t be a central bank and more? Slightly east of centre perhaps centre right in location and ideology??
Does the new Emperor have any clothes?
Keep it as it is, its an honest reflection of this country. But then again fancy offices for central bank would help emphasise where current priorities lie
We should have a statue of Patrick Neary erected on Dame Street, made out of wood. In every sense, a perfect likeness.
I think the Dame St site would be a perfect location for the Dublin City Library. I know there are plans to put it on Parnell Square.
Oooh glass + anger
Well both entities were always close. So it’s nice to see the central bank fitting snugly into the vacant space…… ;)
It should be left as is with the story of the bust carved into the concrete as a warning to future generations. Along with a big display showing the realtime 60 odd billion being paid off.
A total f*ck up of the economy?
Anyone know what will happen then to the existing Central Bank building?
Tom mc feeley has the contract
And Mr.Nearys “gofor” coming back in to help run the show. Great little country alright.
I hope that’s not your phone number you just put out there on a public website…
have your say