Guardiola after Man City´s collapse against PSG: The best team won

Pep Guardiola conceded “the best team won” after Manchester City’s capitulation against Paris Saint-Germain.

City dropped to 25th in the Champions League standings after a 4-2 reverse in Paris on Wednesday.

Guardiola’s side went 2-0 up early in the second half through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland.

Yet a spectacular collapse saw them concede to Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Joao Neves and Goncalo Ramos as PSG completed the turnaround to leave City’s hopes in the balance heading into their final match of the league phase.

“We had our moments and they had their moments, but they were better,” Guardiola told TNT Sports.

“They were quicker, faster, they won the duels, we could not cope. They were fast. The best team won. The game was never like we wanted.

“To play you have to play. To defend the result you have to keep the ball – we didn’t have it. They had it more, they attacked better, that’s why it was more difficult.”

Here are the Opta Supercomputer projections after tonight’s games and with just one matchday remaining of the UEFA Champions League league phase in 2024-25.

Keep up to date on https://t.co/EZ2xKssZGg pic.twitter.com/yoJYbJOBry

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) January 22, 2025

City must now beat Club Brugge at home in their final game if they are to reach the play-offs for the knockout stage.

When asked about the possibility of City – Champions League victors in 2023 – not going through, Guardiola said: “It could happen. We will see.

“If we don’t win [against Brugge] we don’t deserve it. All the away games we have are difficult, but it’s the reality. We didn’t get enough points.”

Guardiola, who spent much of the match wildly waving his arms in frustration, said the game was lost in the midfield, where his side is sorely missing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

“In football, everything happens in the middle,” he said. “We have a last chance at home, we’ll do everything there.”