PSG vs. Manchester City player ratings: Neymar, Mbappe quiet as De Bruyne, Mahrez score fortunate goals

Manchester City came from behind to score two fortunate goals to beat PSG 2-1 on Wednesday in their  Champions League semifinal first leg. PSG got things going early through a header goal from Marquinhos, but they went from dominant to dismal in the second half as City took over. 

But how did each player perform in this one? Here are our player ratings for the match for every starter, substitute and manager.

All ratings are out of 10, and the higher the number the better. A zero would be a first-minute red card. A 10 would be like a dominant hat trick.

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Man City ratings

(GK) Ederson

90

Good save on Neymar early on, helpless on the goal. He looked a little nervous at times, perhaps even rattled, but he didn’t make a costly mistake.

6

(DEF) Kyle Walker

90

Up and down. Got forward well in the second half, also held his own against Kylian Mbappe at times. Was better as the match went on.

7

(DEF) Ruben Dias

90

Very poor on the corner and nearly cost his team a second on another corner. Quickly rebounded and locked up everything that came his way. Bad and then very, very good.

6

(DEF) John Stones

90

Recovered the ball well but wasn’t forced to make a big challenge. Did give a bit too much space to Kylian Mbappe at times. Was composed for the most part though.

5

(DEF) Joao Cancelo                

61

Very poor. Didn’t keep it simple, got beat time and time against and his challenging was way off. Taken off an hour in, and you can argue it deserved to come at the break.

3

(MID) Rodrigo

90

Did very well to get into space and keep the ball moving. Had some issues defensively but overall was fairly decent. His passing, though kept short, was nearly perfect.

7

(MID) Ilkay Gundogan                

90

The marking on the goal wasn’t his fault as they were defending in a zone, but surely tracking would have made sense since nobody was really coming in from behind. On the ball, he didn’t make an impact early on but did get better. His passing was crisp and precise

7

(MID) Kevin de Bruyne

90

⚽ 64′ Invisible for the first hour, partially due to PSG’s superb defending. Had an overhead shot that looked good an hour in but it flew over. Then scored on what was a cross. Credit for the dangerous ball in though.

6

(FWD) Riyad Mahrez

90

⚽ 71′ Held on to the ball too long several times. Tried to be too cute and contributed nothing in the final third until a set piece in the second half. To be fair, he was fortunate as well with the ball slipping between a hole in the wall. He’ll take it though.

6

(FWD) Bernardo Silva

90

Didn’t really get going. Looked lively at the beginning with some fine dribbling, but the ball didn’t really go his way in the second half. Quiet.

5

(FWD) Phil Foden

90

His passing was quite good, but boy did he waste the team’s best chance of the first half from the top of the box, hitting it right at Keylor Navas. He won’t want to see the replay of that one. Also had another good look late he hit right to Navas.

5

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Cancelo (61′)

Came in and was an instant upgrade defensively. His passing was superior, went in well and was able to recover the ball. Also got wide well to get the attack going.

7

Pep Guardiola

1

He’ll be thrilled with the result but not with the play. If they play like this in the second leg, they may be done. The attack got lucky and needs to be sharper. 

6

PSG ratings

(GK) Keylor Navas

90

Although he made a few decent saves, he and his defense will be disappointed that De Bruyne was able to equalize in such fashion and then Mahrez was able to exploit such a poor wall.

5

(DEF) Alessandro Florenzi

90

Solid enough, but also enough of a liability for Di Maria to feel that a significant defensive shift was necessary.

5

(DEF) Marquinhos (c)

90

Restored to the defense after his injury against Bayern, he took his goal well and tried to keep things together as best he could as it all fell apart in the second half.

6

(DEF) Presnel Kimpembe

90

Once again a passenger when things got tough and his inability to back Marquinhos up contributed towards PSG’s structural collapse.

4

(DEF) Mitchel Bakker

90

An unexpected starter instead of the unfit Abdou Diallo, he was reliable enough until he saw some of his teammates losing their heads and then his lack of experience told.

5

(MID) Idrissa Gueye

77

Snapped into tackles all night long and while it worked in PSG’s favor in the first half, it worked directly against them in the second where he was shown red and he has now been sent off twice this edition.

3

(MID) Leandro Paredes

83

Similar tenacity to Gueye, but more controlled, also wasted a good headed chance before picking up a second half booking and being withdrawn.

4

(MID) Marco Verratti

90

His return to the Champions League scene breathed new life into the PSG attack in the first half and he was unlucky to not make it 2-0 early in the second.

6

(FWD) Angel Di Maria

80

One half of absolutely sensational football that he could not keep up as the hosts misfired in the second half. Defended valiantly before being substituted and arguably should have made way earlier as his physical limits were tested.

7

(FWD) Neymar

90

The main man pre-match, he did not see as much of the ball as he wanted and despite flashes of brilliance, he lost his cool with a booking and the team now has a mountain to climb.

6

(FWD) Kylian Mbappe

90

PSG’s most direct threat at times in the first half, he went missing in the second and was not near the same level we saw against Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Didn’t record a shot.

5

(SUB 1) Danilo Pereira

Di Maria

If PSG’s night was a substitution, this was it. Total stylistic polar opposites that told the story of City’s turnaround.

5

(SUB 2) Ander Herrera

Paredes

Sent on to join Danilo and perhaps maintain the sense of a midfield as Paredes and Verratti threatened to give in to emotion.

5

Mauricio Pochettino

2

Arguably too few changes and too late in the game to save what had been an almost perfect start.

4