the floodlights are shining down on the players here at the home of manchester city my name
is derek ray and sitting alongside me in the commentary box providing expert analysis it's
stuart robson and this is where it all starts in the uefa champions league the group stage
and match day one my goodness so much to look forward to
it is manchester city against paris saint-germain well the first game of the group is so vital
you just can't get off to a losing start this could be a tight battle today derek
it's the opening match day champions league group stage match day one underway
and here's the manchester city lineup edison stands between the posts joao cancelo starts
with kyle walker as full backs kevin de bruyne starts alongside rodri in the center of midfield
and the idea is to have just the one striker up there trying to pose problems for the opposition
and the advantage is with psg but assay gay
now vernati oh he's really opened them up here well the keeper reacted magnificently
i'm snuffing out the danger but a corner coming up and a retrospective yellow card
is the referee's verdict well no doubt about it that earlier challenge was a definite booking
fired in by neymar no trouble at all as far as the keeper was concerned
introducing the panty sasha man starters chan luigi donnarumma is the keeper sergio
ramos plays alongside marquinhos in central defence neymar starts with kylian mbappe
in the wide areas and up front one of the best the game has ever seen leonel messi
and with that the attack fizzles out
room to maneuver on the wing
here
uh
this to open the scoring here and there it is perfectly executed
how to play for a manchester city throwing
a city free kick for coming
delivered into the box not away completely
no damage done could be a chance to break here
and they'll regard that as a very disappointing end to the move
messi
neymar and that just wanted to get it out of there
marres
audrey
oh he's giving us away
and showing fine vision
it might still be problematic
and that pass could be troublesome but it comes to nothing in the end offside well he
doesn't need to make his movement quite so quickly there just let the ball be played into the space
throw in here for psg
versi neymar
akimi lionel messi in the middle he'll take efforts like that all day long
and manchester city moving the ball with purpose and he's in an offside position
injuries are again now with messi
verasie here's some paper akimi great block
there will be one minute added on at the end torres
and so the halftime whistle is sounded here in manchester
excellent first half showing from neymar in this game stuart
well i thought he had a really effective first half not only did he get the goal
that gave them the lead but his general play was really good he was a cop and
so the second half of this champions league group stage match day one contest commences
now with akimi
good use of the ball options in the middle
messy hakimi
lionel messi and return to messi and vape now gay
magnificent defending
might still be able to do a bit of damage and just
failing to bend the run enough and the flag has been
and raised city will go to their bench
georginion 30 minutes to go then
the pass could do damage
it's in they're looking really relaxed and confident
i'm not giving the opposition much of a look in
well here it is again and it's a superbly weighted through ball to
break that defensive line and he makes the finish look so easy what a good goal that is
now
well psg have controlled most the possession as you can see
and that's been because of their ability to win the ball back so quickly their pressing has been
excellent and they just haven't stopped working it's been a fantastic performance up to now
ruben diaz
well we have 20 minutes left in this game
lionel messi intercepting it intelligently
well the danger was on but just a fraction off side
messi might be in here oh and that is an audacious chip well he might smile
the goalkeeper has no interest in smiling
well here it is again the little one two starts it all off and the finish is sublime
he sees the keepers position and just chips it open it's a breathtaking goal
and it's starting to get out of hand you just feel
sterling he's managed to lose his marker
cuts it back and no way through breaking at face
until they have the guile to open up the defense
and nicely struck
and neymar he's failed to hold it neymar
said he could be on to something he knows he's got to react
tremendous intuition to win it back and if you're wondering about out of time two minutes it'll be
and possibilities here
so full time it is and the morale boosting three points on the board to begin the european campaign
yeah it's so vital to get off to a quick start in these group stages they'll be happy with the
three points but now they have to back it up in the next game six points and you're halfway there
the thing about lionel messi is we expect that he'll take games by the scruff of the neck and
he's done that this evening yeah he'll be happy coming off the pitch he worked hard he was always
involved in the game and he scored a very good goal that was an impressive performance today