“Once again, this team demonstrated the character and personality of a big team”.
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Kevin De Bruyne scored to settle the tie with 14 minutes remaining at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, securing a 1-0 victory to sit alongside last week’s 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes.
Manchester City were enriched by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi in 2008 while the Qatar Investment Authority acquired PSG in 2011, turning them into the most powerful force in French football.
Paris Saint-Germain got what they deserved as they were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage by Manchester City on Tuesday, admitted coach Laurent Blanc.
The away-goals rules meant a 0-0 draw wasn’t even enough to force the game into extra time and PSG’s hopes were snuffed out when Kevin De Bruyne struck the victor from outside the area in the 76th minute.
“We beat Bayern Munich in my first season and lost against Barcelona in the round of 16”, Pellegrini said.
Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola will be his replacement, and despite the possibility that they may meet in the last four, the Chilean says all that matters is the present.
Asked if City can win the competition, Pellegrini said: “Of course, because I think it is one of the targets of this club to achieve every year”.
Blanc added that his team knows that Manchester will have the advantage but he is also confident that his team will be able to produce the result they need in order to advance in the Championship League.
Over in Spain, Cristiano Ronaldo reminded the entire world why the Champions League is his playground as he single-handedly saved Real Madrid from a two-goal deficit against Wolfsburg to send the club back to the Champions League semi-finals. “The City players were very physical and imposed their physicality upon us”.
The former Manchester United defender brushed off questions about the surprise decision to start with a 3-5-2 formation, but conceded his side “fell short across the board” in the last-eight tie.
“It is not easy because you have very strong teams in Europe but I am sure that the target of this club is to win the Champions League”.
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The pair have come under criticism in the absence of influential skipper Vincent Kompany, but they kept PSG danger man Zlatan Ibrahimovic quiet as they came away with a clean sheet.
