Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc looks on during his side's defeat to Manchester City. Darren Staples / Reuters
Paris Saint-Germain manager Laurent Blanc looks on during his side's defeat to Manchester City. Darren Staples / Reuters

Paris Saint-Germain ‘should have done better’ in Man City defeat, laments Laurent Blanc



Paris Saint-Germain got what they deserved as they were knocked out of the Uefa Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Manchester City on Tuesday, coach Laurent Blanc said.

PSG were eliminated at the quarter-final stage for the fourth campaign running after losing 1-0 to City at the Etihad Stadium to exit the competition 3-2 on aggregate.

“Over the two matches it is not exactly false,” Blanc told beIN Sports when asked if the French champions had not been at their best.

“I think over the two games, especially this one, we tried to do what we wanted to do but maybe we just didn’t have what was required.

More from Uefa Champions League:

Reaction: Now, for Manchester City, the 'target is to win the Champions League'

Gallery: Kevin De Bruyne fires Manchester City into Europe's final four — in pictures

“City are a very, very good team and we need to congratulate them, but I think we can be disappointed because we could and should have done better.

“City can be satisfied because they played with greater intensity in defensive phases and our big problem was that we didn’t manage to score when we were on top in either leg and when that happens it’s difficult to win a match.”

Blanc sprang a major surprise by abandoning his usual 4-3-3 formation to play with three central defenders up against City’s lone striker Sergio Aguero.

It was a move that failed miserably, with PSG never getting going even before losing Thiago Motta to injury late in the first half.

“We analysed things and we also took into account the suspensions of David Luiz and Blaise Matuidi,” said Blanc, who was also without the injured Marco Verratti.

“We saw in the first leg that they have lively and fast players going forward and so we wanted to protect ourselves in the middle.

“We got ourselves into trouble all by ourselves in the first half. That is the big regret because that happened in the first leg too.”

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier

Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.

Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar

Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

The specs

Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 400hp

Torque: 475Nm

Transmission: 9-speed automatic

Price: From Dh215,900

On sale: Now

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

MATCH INFO

Everton 2 Southampton 1
Everton: Walcott (15'), Richarlison (31' )
Southampton: Ings (54')

Man of the match: Theo Walcott (Everton)