Erling Haaland double not enough as Man City lose to PSG while Liverpool hit six vs LASK
Manchester City suffered their first defeat of the season after losing 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain, while Liverpool secured a thrilling 6-3 Champions League victory over LASK on Wednesday night.
Man City endured a disastrous first half at the Etihad Stadium, conceding three goals as PSG took control of the contest.
Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 13th minute before Ousmane Dembele doubled the visitors’ advantage two minutes later.
Man City revive, but fall anyway
Vitinha added a third in the 32nd minute, leaving Enzo Maresca’s side with a significant deficit to overcome.
Erling Haaland pulled one back eight minutes after the break, but Maghnes Akliouche restored PSG’s three-goal lead in the 62nd minute.
Haaland struck again in the 75th minute, although Man City could not complete their comeback.
Maresca admitted his team struggled after conceding twice in quick succession but praised their second-half response.
“We lost a bit of balance, distance between players, and we struggle first half,” he said.
“Second half we made changes and adjusted some things, then we were much better.”
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Liverpool score six in Austria
Liverpool enjoyed a more successful European outing, beating LASK 6-3 to claim consecutive Champions League victories.
Bradley Barcola was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick after Ronald Araújo opened the scoring in the 22nd minute.
Barcola struck twice before half-time, with Jeremie Frimpong extending Liverpool’s advantage after the restart.
The forward completed his treble in the 66th minute before Lewis Koumas added a sixth six minutes later.
Reds’ defensive collapse
However, Liverpool’s defensive display deteriorated late on as Robert Ljubicic and Florian Flecker, who scored twice, helped LASK make the scoreline more respectable.
Head coach Andoni Iraola praised Barcola’s all-round performance, highlighting his threat in behind the defence, but acknowledged Liverpool’s late shortcomings.
“We didn't defend properly at the end of the game,” he admitted.
Liverpool will take confidence from their attacking display, although the defensive lapses provide a clear area for improvement.
