IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
PSG stun Manchester City with 4-2 comeback
IMAGE: Paris St Germain’s Bradley Barcola celebrates scoring their second goal against Manchester City at Parc des Princes, Paris, France. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
Paris St Germain clawed back from two goals down to stun Manchester City 4-2 in the Champions League on Wednesday and leave the English club outside the playoff places and in danger of elimination.
Goals from PSG’s Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos turned the match on its head after City had taken a 2-0 lead early in the six-goal second half.
“The team’s faith is unshakeable,” PSG manager Luis Enrique told reporters. “My team never gives up until the last second and we’ve often shown that.”
Substitute Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland struck in the 50th and 53rd minutes for City, but home fans braving torrential rain at Parc des Princes were treated to a brilliant comeback.
Dembele latched on to a cross from Barcola to sweep home a goal in the 56th minute. Then Barcola levelled four minutes later when he tucked in the rebound after Desire Doue’s blistering shot came back off the crossbar.
PSG parked themselves in City’s half and took the lead in the 78th minute when the visitors’ back line struggled to clear Vitinha’s free kick, leaving Neves to head in at the back post.
Ramos put the icing on the cake with a fine strike from just inside the 18-yard box, given after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
“To defend the result you have to keep the ball. We didn’t have it,” a deflated City manager Pep Guardiola told TNT Sports.
PSG climbed to 22nd in the table, while City, who hoisted the Champions League trophy in 2023 but have won just two of their seven group games, dropped to 25th, one spot below the playoff qualification spots.
“We accept the defeat because the best team won and we have a last chance (to qualify) at home against Club Brugge,” Guardiola said.
IMAGE: Manchester City’s Rico Lewis in action with Paris St Germain’s Achraf Hakimi. Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters
City’s loss sets up a nerve-jangling finale when they host Belgian side Brugge on Jan. 29. The top eight teams qualify automatically for the last 16, while sides finishing ninth to 24th compete in two-legged knockout playoffs to secure their spot in the last 16.
“It could happen. We will see,” Guardiola said on City’s chances of going out before the knockouts. “If we don’t win (v Brugge) we don’t deserve it.”
PSG were the better side for most of Wednesday’s game and briefly celebrated a goal by Achraf Hakimi seconds before halftime that was ruled out for offside.
City seemed to be continuing their revival from weeks of poor results when Grealish rifled in the rebound from Bernardo Silva’s shot. Haaland doubled the lead when Grealish’s cross took a deflection to fall to the Norwegian who hammered home from close range.
But PSG then blitzed the English champions, who had squandered a three-goal lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3 in November. The French side travel to VfB Stuttgart for their final game of the league phase.
Grealish had no answer for City’s letdown.
“I don’t know, usually in these moments, we’re so good,” the midfielder told TNT. “Obviously, it’s happened too many times this season … we’ve not been able to control the game and see it out. Like I said, it’s weird, because in every other season, we’ve been so good in these moments managing the game.”
Feyenoord stun Bayern Munich 3-0 with Gimenez double
IMAGE: Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez scores their second goal from the penalty spot. Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters
Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez scored twice in the first half to steer the hosts to a stunning 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday and boost their chances of a top-eight finish.
The Mexico international fired them into the lead in the 21st minute with a deft shot before adding a second goal with a penalty in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Substitute Ayase Ueda killed off the game in the 89th after Feyenoord keeper Justin Bijlow had denied the Bavarians with a string of strong saves.
With one matchday remaining, Feyenoord climbed above Bayern, who had 32 efforts towards goal and also hit the woodwork, into 11th place on 13 points. The Bavarians dropped to 15th on 12 points with their third defeat in seven matches.
The top eight qualify for the Round of 16 while the next 16 teams go into a playoff.
The hosts took control of the game on a rain-drenched evening when Gimenez latched on to a deep cross from Gijs Smal and then shook off one defender to beat Manuel Neuer with a crisp shot.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern, who have won all three of their league games this year, looked to bounce back quickly but Bijlow was in fine form and stopped a Harry Kane effort shortly before the break.
Instead it was the Dutch who scored again when Raphael Guerreiro, who had come on minutes earlier, brought down Calvin Stengs with a clumsy challenge.
Gimenez, a transfer target for European clubs, stepped up and beat Neuer to double their lead deep in first-half stoppage time.
IMAGE: Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane in action with Feyenoord’s Gijs Smal. Photograph: Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters
Feyenoord initially kept Bayern on the backfoot after the break, with Igor Paixao firing over the bar in the 51st but the visitors upped the pressure.
Bijlow, however, stopped another Kane shot in the 54th before spectacularly palming Jamal Musiala’s point-blank header over the bar on the hour.
Leroy Sane then headed onto the post in the 70th as the visitors poured forward, while unmarked Michael Olise should have done better after missing the target with his own close-range header five minutes from the end.
With Bayern desperate for a goal, Ueda slipped through to seal their win.
Feyenoord face Lille next week while Bayern take on Slovan Bratislava.
Real Madrid thrash Salzburg as Vinicius hits brace
IMAGE: Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior scores their fourth goal at the Santiago Bernabeu. Photograph: Juan Medina/Reuters
Holders Real Madrid hammered RB Salzburg 5-1 in a Champions League clash in the Spanish capital on Wednesday thanks to doubles from Brazilian forwards Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr either side of a goal by Kylian Mbappe.
Despite the Austrian side dominating early proceedings and creating real trouble with their high press, Real slowly took control of the action with inspiring performances from their Brazilian duo plus England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
The Spaniards opened the scoring with a quick counter attack by Vinicius who delivered a long pass through the box destined for Bellingham. But after he failed to control the ball in his stride, Rodrygo reacted quickly to slot a first-touch effort just inside the right post in the 23rd minute.
Rodrygo extended the home side’s lead in the 34th minute, curling home a shot from inside the box after a brilliant back heel flick from Bellingham in a fine one-two combination between them.
Mbappe took advantage of a massive blunder by Salzburg goalkeeper and captain Janis Blaswich, who failed to dribble the ball past the French striker and instead gifted him the third goal in the 48th minute.
With an easy win well underway, Vinicius started putting on a show up and down the left channel and made two magnificent runs in the 55th and 77th minutes to extend Real’s lead.
First he took a great long pass by Luka Modric in his stride to beat one defender in speed and another with a cut inside before firing an unstoppable strike into the top corner.
Vinicius stroked in the fifth in another quick counter, receiving a Federico Valverde pass in space and dribbling past two defenders before wrong-footing the goalkeeper.
IMAGE: Real Madrid’s Rodrygo scores their second goal past FC Salzburg’s Janis Blaswich. Photograph: Juan Medina/Reuters
Mads Bidstrup scored the visitors’ consolation goal in the 85th minute.
After a slow start to their title defence, losing three of their first five matches, Real Madrid are 16th in the standings on 12 points.
They have secured qualification for the next round, but would need to win their last game at Brest and rely on other results to earn a top-eight finish and avoid a two-legged playoff.
“A very important day for us. A win that gives us a lot of confidence going forward,” Rodrygo told Movistar Plus.
“Sometimes we go through difficult times. We work hard not to, but it’s not always easy. This season we are failing a bit in games that we can’t fail.
“I truly believe that it’s always going to be difficult in the Champions League. We need to have a relentless mentality, to score a lot of goals and win a lot of games.”
Salzburg are 34th, third from bottom, eliminated from the competition with only three points from seven games.
