Champions League

KEVIN DE BRUYNE was described as the worst player on the pitch as Manchester City lost to Paris Saint-Germain.The notoriously harsh player ratings dished out by French daily L’Equipe left the Belgian with a score of 3/10.
Lionel Messi (left) earned just a 6/10 rating from L’EquipeCredit: AFP
How L’Equipe rated the players on Tuesday evening
No City star earned more than a six from the ratings with several players hammered for the 2-0 defeat at Parc des Princes.
With Jack Grealish, Rodri and Raheem Sterling handed a 4/10 review, De Bruyne came out worst with a three.
Kept on for the whole 90 minutes by Pep Guardiola, the playmaker contributed a game-high three key passes but only two of his nine crosses were considered by the stats aggregators to be ‘good’.
Otherwise, his numbers were unspectacular but perhaps not dreadful as he made 31 successful passes, the second-lowest of the 20 outfield starters, and lost possession 18 times, the fourth-most overall.
De Bruyne was also booked for a first-half lunge on Idrissa Gueye.
It was the ex-Everton man who put PSG in front after only eight minutes, helping him notch an 8/10 in L’Equipe’s ratings along with Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marquinhos.

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City had plenty of chances to draw level as Sterling and Bernardo Silva both missed from close-range after a smart De Bruyne cross.
The 30-year-old and Sterling also failed to make second-half openings pay before Lionel Messi made it 2-0.
After a quiet game, the Argentine turned on the style for his first PSG goal – and was handed a 6/10 by L’Equipe for his troubles.
De Bruyne and Manchester City laboured to a 2-0 defeat in ParisCredit: Getty
The French paper wrote of his performance: “So that’s a genius.
“A player able to miss everything for 70 minutes, to multiply the bad choices, not to weigh on the offensive animation of his team if it is not by a few first passes in the heart of the game and, suddenly, to raise a stage on an acceleration and a divine strike.
“His first goal with Paris (on his only shot), in such a paradoxical evening, will remain his legend.”

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LIONEL MESSI has well and truly come back to haunt Pep Guardiola – with a record seven goals against his old boss.The Argentine hero, 34, broke his Paris Saint-Germain duck on Tuesday night with a stunning finish against Manchester City.
Lionel Messi scored his seventh goal past a Pep Guardiola defence on Tuesday nightCredit: Getty
The Argentine’s Champions League tally is a record against his former bossCredit: PA
He linked up expertly with Kylian Mbappe before curling a fine effort beyond Ederson into the top corner on 74 minutes.
As well as sealing a 2-0 Champions League win for his new club, it took his tally against Guardiola to seven.
And that is more goals than anyone else has managed against the former Barca manager in the competition.
Two of those came while Guardiola was at Bayern Munich – a double in a 3-0 Barca win in May 2015.
The remaining five are against the Citizens.
Messi smashed in a hat-trick at the Nou Camp in October 2016 as part of a 4-0 victory – the first treble any player had scored against a Guardiola team – and then scored in the reverse tie, a 3-1 defeat, the following month.

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His other two goals against City in the Champions League came in the last 16 in 2014 with a strike in both legs when Manuel Pellegrini was Etihad chief.
Messi played under Guardiola for four seasons at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012, winning three LaLigas and the Champions League twice.
In that time, the superstar forward also managed a bonkers 211 goals in 219 games.
No wonder Guardiola was desperate to bring Messi to the Etihad when his contract at Barcelona ran out this summer.
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino, on the receiving end of Messi’s goals down the years, said on Tuesday: “Usually I don’t celebrate goals, but today I did.
“I’ve spent 20 years watching him score goals from the other side of the opposite pavement and it’s the first time he scores for a team I manage so I had to celebrate.”
However, while Messi has seven goals against Guardiola, Jamie Vardy has nine against the Spaniard.
No player has scored more against City since Pep took over in 2016 than the Leicester talisman.
Although his have been spread across the Premier League and League Cup – but do include two hat-tricks to surpass Messi’s tally of one.
Messi picked out the top corner to make it 2-0 on the nightCredit: EPA
He scored a whopping 211 goals in 219 matches under Guardiola at BarcelonaCredit: AFP
Jamie Vardy has nine goals against Pep Guardiola’s City – including two hat-tricksCredit: EPA
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AARON WAN-BISSAKA’S Champions League ban has been extended to two matches by UEFA. The 23-year-old was given a straight red card for going in with a stud-first tackle on Young Boy’s star Christopher Martins in United’s 2-1 loss against them last week.
Wan-Bissaka has been banned for two games for his red card against Young BoysCredit: Reuters
The full-back was given his marching orders for going in stud-first on Young Boys ace MartinsCredit: AFP
The full back was initially handed a mandatory one match ban for his recklessness, ruling him out of United’s European clash against Villarreal tonight.
But according to Sky Sports, the Englishman will now also miss the Red Devils Champions League game with Atalanta next month.
European football’s governing body slapped the ex-Crystal Palace defender with the extra game ban after charging him with ‘rough play’, journalist Simon Peach tweeted.
But United fans have slammed Uefa for having double standards after witnessing Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne escape punishment for a similar challenge on an opponent in the Champions League.
The Belgian, 30, received a yellow for catching Paris Saint-Germain star Idrissa Gueye with his studs in City’s 2-0 loss to them last night, to the bemusement of the Old Trafford faithful.
They took to Twitter to vent their frustration with officials, and one tweeted: “Why wasn’t De Bruyne sent off?

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“Surely it was no different to Wan-Bissaka’s challenge?”
While another wrote: “How De Bruyne didn’t get a red when Wan-Bissaka did for near enough an identical challenge is beyond me.
“Where’s the consistency?”
And one fumed: “How has De Bruyne not been sent off for that? HOW?
“VAR is so inconsistent! Wan-Bissaka was sent off for a similar tackle, no questions asked. Unbelievable!”
Wan-Bissaka’s ban leaves United with limited defensive options going into their tie against Villarreal tonight.
Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are also missing following their injuries in United’s 1-0 loss to Aston Villa at the weekend.
Left-back Alex Telles has just returned from injury but will most certainly get thrown in the deep end for the game to help fill the gaps in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s defence.
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ON Tuesday night in Paris, it was all about Lionel Messi. Of course it was.After 672 goals for Barcelona, a first one for Paris St Germain, and a classic Messi show-stopper to settle a Champions League match against Manchester City, their fellow filthy-rich arrivistes.
Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe all played in PSG’s win over Man CityCredit: AFP
PSG flexed their muscles as they beat Man City 2-0 in a heavyweight showdownCredit: Getty
But Paris St Germain are not favourites to lift the European Cup in St Petersburg next May merely because of their little old GOAT – nor even his fellow Galacticos, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar.
Behind those three amigos, Pep Guardiola’s men found a serious-minded midfield and defence, as well as a goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who was England’s heartbreaker and the Player of the Tournament at the Euros.
Mauricio Pochettino still has much work to do to meld PSG into a formidable team unit – City were the better team for long stages of their 2-0 defeat at Parc des Princes.
But the former Tottenham boss has one of the mightiest squads ever assembled at his disposal.
Against City, Marco Verratti – another Italian who was key to denying Gareth Southgate’s men a trophy this summer – was magnificent in the midfield anchor role.
In front of him, former Premier League operators Ander Herrerra and Idrissa Gueye – who netted a belting opener – also have the defensive nous to counter-balance those flair merchants up top.
Gini Wijnaldum, whose absence is felt keenly at Liverpool, couldn’t make the starting line-up, and neither could Argentine Leandro Paredes, another world-class defensive midfielder.
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In defence, Presnel Kimpembe provided Raheem Sterling with a second skin in a man-marking which would have been the envy of a presidential bodyguard.
Kimpembe is a dirty-working old-school central defender, but he is not even the nastiest on Pochettino’s roster.
Sergio Ramos – Real Madrid’s long-term bastard-in-chief and bogeyman of Anfield after his hatchet job on Mo Salah in the 2018 final – also arrived in Paris this summer. When he is fit, he will make Paris even tougher to defeat.
The full-backs, Achraf Hakimi, a title-winner with Inter Milan last season, and the dynamic teenager Nuno Mendes, on loan from Sporting Lisbon, have improved PSG.
These two feel like proper Poch signings. When his Tottenham team came to prominence, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose were the best full-back pairing in the Premier League and he values strength in that area more than most coaches.
In his post-match press conference, Pochettino fielded many questions from the French press about having alleviated pressure on his job.
This despite PSG having won eight out of eight in Ligue 1 – seeing them nine points clear by the end of September.
Surrendering the title to Lille last term was ridiculous, given PSG’s financial might. Poch knows that regaining the domestic crown is an absolute non-negotiable.
Failure to defeat Bruges in their Champions League opener was treated like a crisis in the French capital.
That’s because the wealth of this club, state-funded by Qatar, is obscene – and it shows in their squad strength.
FFP? FFS, no.
Gianluigi Donnarumma and Presnel Kimpembe were impregnable at the backCredit: Reuters
Marco Verratti pulled the strings in midfield on Tuesday nightCredit: Getty
Argentine goal machine Mauro Icardi and his compatriot Angel Di Maria, a former Champions League final man of the match at Real Madrid, didn’t get a look in on Tuesday and neither did Julian Draxler, capped 56 times by Germany.
So while there have been two all-English Champions League finals in the last three seasons, and with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus all weakened, Premier League clubs can never fully dominate Europe’s elite competition while PSG are allowed to stockpile so much talent.
There was plenty of talk before the City match over whether Pochettino – a demanding manager, who ran Spurs like a sweatshop and built such a unified team there – really was the man to lead this celebrity project in Paris.
But it is not as if his famous front three were swanning around performing like a free-form jazz trio all night against City.
While Neymar’s improv routines were over-indulgent at times, there was no absence of defensive work from Mbappe.
Messi, meanwhile, dropped deep into midfield, popped up as right-back cover and even acted as the ‘draft excluder’ in a defensive wall late on. Some prima donna.
Messi had been relatively quiet until that burst of pace, that one-two with the backheel of Mbappe, and that sumptuous finish which left Ederson frozen and almost broke the internet as it flashed across the globe.
It was Messi’s ‘welcome to Paris’ moment. The Parc went wild and the world took heed.
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REAL MADRID may have more Champions League titles than anyone else, but their prestigious history makes them a prize scalp for any plucky minnow.Sheriff Tiraspol became the latest club to upset the odds in a big way with Tuesday’s 2-1 win at the Bernabeu, courtesy of a late stunner from Sebastien Thill.
Sheriff Tiraspol beat Real Madrid in a huge shock on Tuesday nightCredit: Rex
But Los Blancos are not the only giant to slip on a Champions League banana skin with plenty of others suffering shock turnarounds from seemingly secure positions.
Here, SunSport details seven great European upsets to go alongside the Moldovan side’s heroics.
AC Milan 3-3 Liverpool, 2-3 pens (May 2005)
Carlo Ancelotti’s first thought as his Real side were sunk by Sheriff may have been one of deja vu.
It was the Italian in charge of AC Milan in the 2005 final, which saw the Rossoneri lead 3-0 after a confident first-half.
But Liverpool drew level in seven mad minutes after the break, before Jerzy Dudek’s shootout heroics in what became known as the Miracle of Istanbul.
Liverpool’s 2005 final comeback is arguably the competition’s most legendaryCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

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Celtic 2-1 Barcelona (November 2012)
The dominant Barcelona team of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Co suffered the odd defeat in the group stages.
Shakhtar Donetsk earned a 3-2 win at the Camp Nou in 2008 before Rubin Kazan followed suit a year later.
But Celtic’s triumph came with a minute 11 per cent of possession as Victor Wanyama’s early header was added to by young Tony Watt’s late goal on the counter, sending Parkhead into raptures.
Tony Watt sparked memorable scenes as Celtic snatched a big upsetCredit: Kenny Ramsay – The Sun Glasgow
Barcelona 6-1 Paris Saint-Germain, 6-5 agg (November 2017)
Only the most famous of games earn their own title and this last-16 triumph was dubbed ‘The Remontada’, or ‘Comeback’, and quite simply had it all.
PSG’s four-goal first leg lead topped the three-goal advantage Milan threw away to Deportivo La Coruna in 2004 and the French side even added an away goal at the Camp Nou to help their chances.
But three very late goals – from Neymar after 88 and 91 minutes, then Sergi Roberto after 95 – knocked Les Parisiens out and symbolised their European struggles since the Qataris flushed the team with cash.
Sergi Roberto was the unlikely hero for Barcelona’s RemontadaCredit: Reuters
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham, 3-3agg (May 2019)
Chocked full of exciting youngsters, Ajax’s dream run to the Champions League final appeared all-but certain after opening up a 3-0 aggregate lead on Tottenham in their semi-final second leg.
But Spurs and Lucas Moura had a fairytale of their own in mind, the Brazilian hitting a second-half hat-trick, finished off in the 96th minute, to send the club to their first-ever Champions League final.
In the other semi, Liverpool overturned their own three-goal deficit by beating Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield in the most memorable fortnight of last-four action to date.
Mauricio Pochettino led the celebrations as Tottenham reached their first Champions League finalCredit: Getty
Monaco 3-1 Real Madrid 5-5 agg (April 2004)
While Porto and the aforementioned Deportivo were off performing their heroics in 2003-04, a Monaco side led by young coach Didier Deschamps were making their own waves.
Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo helped themselves to goals as Real Madrid’s Galacticos bagged a formality 4-2 win at the Bernabeu to open this quarter-final tie.
Yet the unfancied Monegasques and Fernando Morientes, on loan from Madrid, brushed off an early Raul goal at Stade Louis II to secure a memorable comeback and reach the semis, where they also knocked out favourites Chelsea.
Monaco stunned Real Madrid en route to the 2004 finalCredit: Getty
APOEL Nicosia 1-0 Lyon, 4-3 pens (March 2012)
Underdogs can often secure group-stage wins but doing so in the knockouts is another matter.
Cypriot side APOEL were praised for getting out of their group but it was hardly a star-studded affair and Lyon were expected to cruise through in the last-16.
Instead, the French side failed to build on a 1-0 first-leg lead and APOEL won the return by the same scoreline, before sealing a historic quarter-final berth against Real Madrid with a penalty shootout victory.
APOEL Nicosia stunned Lyon to reach the last-eight in 2012Credit: AFP – Getty
Manchester United 2-1 Bayern Munich (May 1999)
There was no denying Manchester United the treble in 1999, even when a goal down as injury time began in the Champions League final.
Behind since the sixth-minute, the Red Devils forced their way into extra-time when Teddy Sheringham poked home a goalmouth scramble.
Even an extra 30 minutes was not required however, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer flicked the ball into the net in a moment that went down in Old Trafford, and European football, folklore.
Manchester United secured a famous title at the Camp Nou
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ED SHEERAN made sure he got a Photograph after meeting Lionel Messi and Mauricio Pochettino last night.The singer-songwriter was in the crowd at the Parc des Princes as Paris Saint-Germain put in a Grade 8 performance against Manchester City in the Champions League.
Ed Sheeran met Lionel Messi after watching PSG beat Manchester City
The pop star was in the Parc des Princes crowd alongside dad John and wife CherryCredit: Splash
He sat alongside wife Cherry Seaborn and dad John – but also managed to get the guests VIP access backstage.
Sheeran, 30, took to Instagram on Wednesday morning to share the pictures with the Argentina duo, posing with Messi and then in conversation with Poch.
He wrote: “Thank you for hosting me and my family x”
The six-time Brit and four-time Grammy winner, whose new album = is out next month, is a huge Ipswich fan and was even included as the No17 in the Tractor Boys’ squad this season.
So there is a chance Sheeran was trying some underhand scouting tactics to try and lure Messi to Portman Road.
On the pitch, PSG’s own A-Team were on fire as they secured a Runaway 2-0 win against The City.

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Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe were all involved in the opening goal after just seven minutes, with the ball eventually smashed into the top corner by Idrissa Gueye.
But Messi turned goalscorer on 74 minutes, linking up with Mbappe before curling a rasping effort beyond Ederson for his first PSG goal.
He also posted on Instagram after the game, uploading a snap of the deadly MNM trio celebrating in the dressing room.
Pochettino said: “Usually I don’t celebrate goals, but today I did.
“I’ve spent 20 years watching him score goals from the other side of the opposite pavement and it’s the first time he scores for a team I manage so I had to celebrate.
“You need this type of performance and players like him need to feel the back of the net. 
“He needs to create links within the team after 20 years in Barcelona. He’s feeling different things, there’s a lot of new feelings for him.
“First goal in our side, now that we are on the same side, I enjoyed it a lot and am so happy to be here enjoying Leo’s first goal.
“He’s top class, I know I’m not saying anything new but I think with time he still has room to improve a lot.”
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Messi found the top corner in style to break his PSG goalscoring duckCredit: Getty
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LIONEL MESSI was given the dirty job of laying down behind the wall for Paris Saint-Germain in their clash with Man City.But BT Sport pundits slammed the move as ‘disrespectful’ to the superstar.
Lionel Messi was given the job of laying down behind the wall for PSG against Man CityCredit: AFP

Messi, 34, grabbed his first goal for his new club last night with a sublime finish against Manchester City, finding the top corner emphatically.
But in the 91st minute, the English champs won a free-kick 25 yards out.
And as the unbeatable Gianluigi Donnarumma lined up his wall to stop Riyad Mahrez’s effort, it was the £884,000-a-week hero who draw the short straw.
The idea behind lying down against the back of his team-mates’ heels is to allow them to jump and prevent anyone trying to shoot underneath them.
Ironically, Messi’s brilliance is a large reason teams use the tactic after scoring set pieces by going under the wall.
But Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves were baffled it was the six-time Ballon d’Or winner selected to lie down on the turf – despite being one of the shortest players on the pitch.

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Hargreaves said: “We couldn’t believe it. He’s one of the greatest of all time, if not the greatest.
Ferdinand then added: “The moment Mauricio Pochettino asked him to do that at the training ground someone should have gone in there and said, ‘No, no, no, no, this doesn’t happen to Leo Messi.’
“You can’t. It’s disrespectful, I wouldn’t have it.
“If I was in that team I’d say, ‘No, I’ll lay down for you.’
“I couldn’t have him laying down like that. I can’t see it. He doesn’t get his kit dirty. That’s not what Messi does.”
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