On the day that Angel di Maria became the most expensive player in the history of English football, Riyad Mahrez was playing in a League Cup defeat to Shrewsbury. Mahrez was a £450,000 signing who had just made his first two top-flight appearances for Leicester City as Manchester United paid £59.7 million for a Champions League winner and World Cup finalist.
Fast forward seven years and there was a different tale of two left-footed right wingers in Manchester City’s 2-0 win on Tuesday. Di Maria was sent off for a swipe.
“They started kicking us and it was good,” said Mahrez. And if Fernandinho was the man Di Maria lashed out at, Mahrez represented the major source of frustration.
Paris Saint-Germain could not handle him; at times, they could not get near enough to kick him. Perhaps the standout moment of the Algerian’s night was not either of his goals, but when he ghosted away from Presnel Kimpembe with a glorious, effortless piece of skill. Marquinhos executed a block to deny Mahrez a hat-trick but a Champions League semi-final had become his stage.
City’s efforts to clear the hail off the pitch at half-time included equipping the stadium manager with spades to shovel it off. While others had struggled with the conditions, Mahrez felt the exception, his balance enabling him to drift and glide and the change direction without warning. PSG, the conquerors of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, could not cope with Mahrez.
His golden year came with Leicester, when his 17 goals and 13 assists helped render them champions. Yet this has been his greatest week; he became only the second Premier League player, after Sadio Mane, to end a Champions League semi-final with three goals. The tie was previewed with many a reference to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but Mahrez decided it. Suddenly, he feels one of the best players in the world.
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Man City v PSG player ratings
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MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Ederson – 8. His extraordinary, incisive through ball put Zinchenko free to set up the first goal. His distribution was not always quite that solid, but he was a reassuring presence between the sticks for City. AFP -
Kyle Walker – 7. Involved in little drama, but he will take that, given the result on a night when the stakes were so high. AFP -
John Stones – 7. A stoic presence at the centre of City’s defence, even if it was his centre-back partner Dias who was making more of the most eye-catching blocks. AFP -
Ruben Dias – 8. Bravely put his head in the way of a driven cross as PSG threatened just before half time, then again from a shot after the break. His courage inspired his team. AFP -
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 9.5. Will have had his heart in his mouth before being spared a penalty for handball after a VAR referral. Was celebrating not long after as he played a key role in City’s opener. Fully justified his selection in place of Cancelo. He was outstanding. EPA -
Fernandinho – 7. Evaded an early booking despite a string of fouls. Which is standard. He played a small but important role in tempering Zinchenko when the game was won but PSG were losing their heads. AFP -
Ilkay Gundogan – 6. Made a timely interception when Di Maria was threatening to shoot just before the break, but was unusually lacking in influence in the midfield battle. AFP -
Bernardo Silva – 6. His laxness in possession provided a chance for Di Maria to level, and he was lucky the former Manchester United midfielder shot wide. Outshone by his colleagues. AFP -
Riyad Mahrez – 8. Made no mistake when De Bruyne’s blocked shot fell to him in the 11th minute. Perky throughout as he gave Diallo a torrid night. Ideally placed to double his tally. EPA -
Phil Foden – 9. Took a little time to warm to the task, but was purring by the time the interval arrived, notably with a fine mazy dribble. Magnificent wing play to set up Mahrez’s second, and was in his element as the game opened up. EPA -
Kevin de Bruyne – 8. Perfectly assured just when his side needed him. Played an inch perfect pass for Foden to cross for Mahrez’s second goal. AFP -
SUB: Gabriel Jesus – NA. Not much time to do anything significant, but lucky to emerge unscathed after a reckless lunge from Kimpembe. AFP -
SUB: Raheem Sterling – NA. Arrived late to the party, and tried his best to add to the celebrations, but his attempts at quick passes were traded with tiring teammates. Reuters -
SUB: Sergio Aguero – NA. Made an appearance on his farewell tour, but it felt more sentimental than purposeful. Reuters -
PSG RATINGS: Keylor Navas – 6. Kept out a shot from Mahrez with his legs from a similar position to which he was beaten when City took the lead. Dealt with a testing Foden shot at the start of the second half. EPA -
Presnel Kimpembe – 6. Got treatment for a head knock in the first half. Had his socks around his ankles and looked exhausted by the end. Lucky only to see yellow for a wild hack at Jesus. Reuters -
Marquinhos – 7. Made a dominant leap and should have levelled the score on the night, but saw his header hit the bar. Tried to raise his side, but by the end needed to keep a lid on their tempers instead. AFP -
Abdou Diallo – 5. Had plenty of opportunities to cross in dangerous positions, but wasted each of them. Started the second phase in lacklustre fashion with an unnecessary foul on Mahrez. AFP -
Alessando Florenzi – 5. Caught out of position by Ederson’s pass to Zinchenko for the opener, which earned the wrath of his manager. Subbed once the game had gone. AFP -
Marco Verratti – 7. His scheming was part of the reason that the away side dominated possession of the ball in the first half, but he was petulant once it became obvious the tie was lost. EPA -
Leandro Paredes – 6. Seldom featured in anything progressive or creative, and mostly spotted when there was squabbling going on. Reuters -
Mauro Icardi – 3. No-one can replicate Mbappe’s pace, but Icardi often seemed unwilling to even try to break or press quickly. It felt like his side were playing with a player less while he was on. AFP -
Neymar – 7. Without his regular foil – Mbappe, who was benched with an injury – alongside him, he looked less willing, or maybe able, to pick passes. EPA -
Angel Di Maria – 4. Saw his shot from range go inches wide when he had the goal at his mercy after dispossessing Silva. Lost his head when he stamped on Fernandinho, and deservedly saw red. EPA -
Ander Herrera – 7. Bolted around furiously trying to drive PSG back into the tie. Booked for a puerile response to being denied a free kick. Substituted for fear he was about to turn that into red. Reuters -
SUB: Moise Kean – NA. The on-loan Everton striker had no chance to make an impression after coming on for the ineffectual Icardi, Reuters -
SUB: Julian Draxler – NA. The German forward was scarcely spotted after coming on when the tie was as good as lost already. EPA -
SUB: Danilo – NA. Brought on apparently to calm PSG’s recklessness – only to be cautioned for an ugly challenge on Jesus. AFP -
SUB: Colin Dagba – NA. Got an appearance fee, but little else after he was brought on late in the day. EPA -
SUB: Mitchel Bakker – NA. Not enough time to make a notable contribution, other than to blunt Mahrez’s chance of netting a third. EPA
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“Riyad is extraordinary,” said Pep Guardiola. “He has huge quality. Players are judged how they behave in the big tests. He is always ready. He loves it and enjoys it. Three goals over the tie deserves big compliments.”
City’s charge through the knockout stages has been led by Mahrez. He has either scorer or assisted a goal in five consecutive games. His pass for Kevin de Bruyne’s goal at home to Borussia Monchengladbach may feel a footnote in their season but his cutback for De Bruyne’s equaliser in the first leg against Borussia Dortmund was altogether more important, as was the nerveless penalty in the second. Then came his free kick in Paris and his brace in Manchester.
His first showed a predatory streak; in a world without Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and one or two others, it would have attracted more attention that Mahrez is in double figures for goals for a sixth successive year.
His second felt more revealing of City’s tactics. In a system with a false nine, or even two, the wingers can be City’s most advanced players. So they were when Phil Foden scooted clear and, bypassing the gap in the middle where a specialist striker might have been, found Mahrez to sweep in his shot.
Each has usurped Raheem Sterling for a place in the side, displacing a winger who scored 31 times last season. It is a sign of their impact. There is another prolific finisher they have rendered surplus to requirements. Guardiola showed his sentimental side by bringing on Sergio Aguero for a late cameo. A decade ago, the Argentinian started in City’s maiden Champions League game. Perhaps he will play his last game for them in the culmination of a long journey: the Champions League final.
