Manchester City‘s shocking collapse after leading 3-0 and PSG‘s latest defeat have left both teams in precarious positions in the Champions League. With just one group-stage matchday remaining, the standings are grim: City sits in 15th place, while PSG languishes in 26th. These struggles spotlight their celebrated coaches, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, who began the season with aspirations of European glory. Now, both must navigate a path fraught with challenges to salvage their campaigns.
The cross from Igor Paixão 🎯
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 26, 2024
Fofana's excellent pass 🤤#UCLassists | @Lays_football pic.twitter.com/DvLYuEP9z7
City’s woes are particularly striking. Despite dominating Feyenoord at the Etihad and holding a commanding 3-0 lead until the 74th minute, they ended up with a humiliating 3-3 draw. Guardiola’s side, mired in a five-match losing streak, seemed to crumble under pressure, allowing the Dutch visitors to mount a stunning comeback. According to Opta, this marks the first time in Champions League history a team with a three-goal lead in the 75th minute failed to win.
75 – Manchester City are the first team in UEFA Champions League history to be leading a match by three goals as late as the 75th minute and fail to go on to win. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/QFkxrMUEbN
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 26, 2024
The road ahead is daunting for City. They face away matches against Juventus and PSG before hosting Club Brugge in their final group-stage game. A turnaround is essential, but the task is monumental.
PSG’s situation is even direr. With only four points from a possible 15, they are outside the top 24 teams and, as it stands, would not even qualify for the Europa League knockout stages. Their remaining fixtures include home games against Salzburg and Manchester City, followed by a tricky away match against Stuttgart.
Costly Mistakes
Both teams’ struggles are underscored by key errors at crucial moments. For PSG, a costly mistake by goalkeeper Matvei Safonov gifted Bayern Munich the only goal of their clash, courtesy of Kim Min-Jae. Later, Ousmane Dembélé’s red card derailed PSG’s best spell of the game, leaving them unable to mount a comeback.
These lapses mirror the collapse seen in Manchester, painting a grim picture for two of Europe’s heavyweights. Neither City nor PSG can be confident about their future in the tournament. For two teams with ambitions of lifting the Champions League trophy, the current reality is a nightmare that will require drastic changes to escape.
