«Un chef-d’œuvre», «un Paris à deux visages» : la presse européenne conquise par le PSG, malgré la pression mancunienne

It only took Désiré Doué one minute and 49 seconds to change the match. This Wednesday evening at the Etihad Stadium, the Parisian striker made his mark: scorer then decisive passer, the 21-year-old was one of the great architects of PSG's victory (4-2). In Le Parisien, his performance was hailed as a “demonstration of talent and personality”. The daily newspaper even sees him as “a real boss, a leader”.

Parisians close to perfection in the first half…

Across the Channel, The Guardian highlights the impact of the “Doué-Dembélé duo, whose goals in quick succession” quickly destabilized Manchester City. But the press also highlights the collective work behind this offensive festival. In L’Équipe, the tactical analysis makes the Parisian environment the key to the “masterpiece of the first period at City”. At the heart of the game, Vitinha weighed well beyond his goal: through his orientation and his technical accuracy, he helped dictate the rhythm of the Parisian attacks. Le Parisien also welcomes his “gala match”.

…before a tense end to the match

This mastery, however, did not last the entire meeting. If the British press notes the Parisian efficiency before the break, it also notes the reaction of the English in the second half. Manchester City finished with 27 shots, putting a suddenly less calm Parisian defense to the test.

“A Paris with two faces”. This is the observation of Le Monde, which describes a team that is at first irresistible, then feverish under opposing pressure. After the break, Erling Haaland reignited the suspense by scoring two goals. City then believed they could turn the match around, while Paris struggled to get the ball out. Goalkeeper Matveï Safonov finally preserved the Parisian advantage thanks to several decisive saves.

In Spain, AS headlines “Doué and Dembélé burst City’s bubble”, while in Germany, SPORT1 sums up the surprise with “Guardiola watches, PSG shocks Manchester City”. Headlines which underline the scale of the Parisian demonstration, carried out under the eyes of Pep Guardiola, Maresca's predecessor.