City let out of jail after Fernando howler in Paris
Manchester City have earned a 2-2 away draw with Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter final tonight, putting them into a powerful position for the second leg at The Etihad next week.
The first moment of drama in the game came when Bacary Sagna fouled David Luiz and gave away a penalty, only for Joe Hart to same Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s tame effort.
But then, City, who went a goal up in the 38th minute through play-maker Kevin De Bruyne, saw a moment of humiliation from central midfielder Fernando gifted Zlatan Ibrahimovic an equaliser 3 minutes later.
Fernando, after receiving the ball on the edge of his own penalty area from goalkeeper Joe Hart, tried to turn and play a ball inside, but his poor touch allowed Ibrahimovic to pounce and Fernando’s next touch cannoned off the PSG striker and ended up buried in the Manchester City net.
PSG then started the second half strongly and eventually got themselves ahead through Adrien Rabiot’s tap-in. However, some sloppy defending of their own allowed City a route back into the game and Fernandinho equalised after 72 minutes with a scrappy goal.
It was, however, a goal that was welcomed with open arms by the City players and fans as 2 away goals mean they are firmly in the driving seat for the second leg at The Etihad in 6 days time, knowing that a win or even a low-scoring draw would see them progress to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in their history.
Reaching a semi-final would be a fantastic achievement for a club who have had an under-par season this year. With their current league form, City will be wanting to challenge for the Champions League this year as long as they possibly can, with a place in NEXT season’s competition guarenteed if they can go all the way.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
