UEFA Champions League matchday 2 recap 🍿 PSG setting the bar high⁉️ | ESPN FC

Name: UEFA Champions League matchday 2 recap 🍿 PSG setting the bar high⁉️ | ESPN FC
Uploaded: 2026-10-15T21:51:08+00:00
Duration: 7 min 53 s
Description: ESPN FC recaps Champions League matchday 2, focusing on PSG's 3-0 first-half display against Manchester City and whether it strengthens their case to win the Champions League. The panel also credits…

ESPN FC

Champions League matchday 2 recap: PSG's first half stuns City, Liverpool's big win questioned

ESPN FC recaps Champions League matchday 2, focusing on PSG's 3-0 first-half display against Manchester City and whether it strengthens their case to win the Champions League. The panel also credits City's second-half fightback and debates the quality of Liverpool's lopsided win.

The best neutral watch of this Champions League round was Manchester City vs PSG — PSG were superb in the opening 45 minutes and took a 3-0 lead; their midfield and whole team tore City apart, and on nights like this they can turn it on.
PSG's first half reminded him of their Champions League classic against Bayern Munich — In that home win, once PSG shifted into second gear the opponent could not cope; everyone was free offensively and then worked back defensively, which is total football at its best.
It is hard to make much of an argument for why PSG will not win the Champions League — Looking at PSG's pedigree and experience, when they are at their best there is little to dispute; the bookmakers not favoring them does not change that.
PSG and Barcelona are the two best footballing teams in Europe — Barcelona have been more consistent, but PSG's first-half dominance over City is the kind of performance PSG usually save for later in the season; he is not sure Barcelona at their best would dominate City that way.
Even with City's second-half response, the first 45 minutes were as one-sided as you will see between two major European teams — City deserve credit for the second half, which balances the overall conversation, but judging the first half alone, it was completely one-sided.
City threw the tactics board out at halftime and simply tried to save face and fight at home — They had been battered and were lucky to be only 3-0 down, so they threw caution to the wind and ran at PSG from everywhere.
PSG could have made the second half much worse for City — PSG had chances after City opened up but did not take them; the change came from City's caution-to-the-wind approach rather than a controlled comeback.
PSG could not possibly sustain that first-half level for 90 minutes — The intensity demands too much physically and mentally; players tire, City reacted, and after 3-0 you naturally let the game go a little. PSG should be proud of the first half but could not repeat it.
Liverpool's big win was enjoyable but the opposition were poor, even embarrassing — Creating and scoring goals can only help mentally, but the truth is the opposition were not up to it.

Frank Leboeuf, Shaka Hislop and Steve Nicol join Dan Thomas on ESPN FC to react to the results from matchday 2 of the UEFA Champions League. ✔️ Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited: https://plus.espn.com/ ESPN ESPNFC

Transcript

Perfect opportunity to recap what we saw in the Champions League as it returned after that international break for the second uh match day. Plenty of goals uh to keep us entertained. I think without a doubt though, the best game to watch as a neutral was Manchester City against PSG. PSG so good in the opening 45 minutes where they took that 3-0 lead. Uh it was very impressive, Stevie. And PSG have this ability and we talk about their form in the league to turn it on on these sort of nights. And that midfield just tore City apart. I mean the whole team tore city apart. I mean I'm watching it and I'm thinking is Hakeime playing as a false nine. I mean it was like every time they went forward he was he probably could have had a hattick if it actually picked him out a couple more than two or three times. You you what do you do against a team like that when they're playing like that? >> They're fantastic to watch. >> They're just they're just incredible. The the movement, the connections between the players. I mean, Manchester City were doing every single thing they could to try and squeeze them and close them down and they couldn't get close to them. I mean, every single facet of the game in the first half Yeah. >> was absolutely incredible. >> Yeah, it really was, Frank, wasn't it? That opening 45 minutes, some of the best we've seen from PSG. And boy, have they set that bar high. >> It reminds me the the game that they play against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, but that was like four 43 or 42 when they won at home. But when they they put the second gear where you cannot cope with them. I mean, Desire Det on the second goal, the first touch on the goal that he scored, do everything that Akimi number nine or number 10, I don't know what was playing. It was the the the total football that we loved. Uh maybe more for for Stevie and I because we are maybe the only two ball. Yes. With Shaka too. Sorry Shaka. But uh but that was that was insane where everybody was in position to do whatever they wanted offensively and then came back defensively and got the ball back and working and running. That's what I love about the football. And what I liked as well is the reaction of city the citizens when didn't give up. It was so hard for them. was so humiliating for them playing at home against that team who you cannot cop and it came back and they almost surprised everybody and it was tense at the end. So I love the match. I love that game. That was one of the best game uh I've seen for for a long time and this what we want to see is those players who give 100% to uh to the football and I really really enjoy Paris and Jama. It's true. >> Take a look at how the bookies have things set for the Champions League. I know when we did this on Tuesday, PSG were not favorites and it hasn't changed since Barcelona and PSG there alongside uh Arsenal, but you look at the pedigree and you look at the experience of this PSG side, Shaq. >> Yeah, >> it's difficult to put up too much of an argument as to why they won't win it. >> Right. Right now, well, PSG at their best, which which certainly has Manchester City, Barcelona have been more consistent, but they're the two best footballing teams in in in Europe. And and I say that recognizing that where PSG currently sit in in league. But you look at this first half performance against City, this is the kind of performance that PSG in years gone by have reserved for the second half of the season. And the execution has always been well everybody's tired at this point and PSG have been resting players and and that's why they're as dominant as they are. But at this stage of the season against a team as good as Manchester City to see that first 45 in in particular, um I I'm I'm not sure that Barcelona even at their best are as dominant over City as PSG were in that first 45. >> And now to Frank to to Frank's point though, give City their credit. The second half was a totally different story and that kind of balances things off in terms of the conversation. But if we just look at a 45 minutes of its own, >> that was as one-sided a football game as you will see against two major European teams. >> You Man City though just the tactics board got thrown out the front door at halftime. That's what it was. This was this was absolutely pure and unadulterated. We need to try and save face here. We need to put up a fight. We're at home. We've just got battered. We're lucky it's only three and we're we're throwing caution to the win. >> And the fact that PSG had >> there's no question football players when you're three and up at half time there is a little thing where you think the game's done. >> Okay. >> And when you're playing against a team with the quality of City when you start slowly and then they get after you, it's very difficult to turn it around. >> So yeah, I think a lot of that that had a lot to do. Also, it became a school boy game where City were just caution to the wind. making all kinds of changes. They were just running at at PSG from everywhere >> and really it could have been a lot worse because PSG had some chances in that second half that they never they never made the most of in my opinion. So yeah, I the caution to the wind is what changed it. >> I I believe that it's impossible to be at that level um that Paris were in the first half and carry on for 90 minutes. It's almost impossible because it demands a lot um physically and you have to think a lot. you have to think quickly and you have to be sharp and of course the game going on you know you get a little bit tired and and on top of it you have man in front of you who's going to react and it's what happened with Manchester City and and as TV said 3-0 you know that you normally say okay game over and so you you you you let it you let it go a little bit and Vinia mentioned that he say it was impossible for us to be as good as we we have been the first half and we played against a fantastic team we we hasn't lost a point in the Premier League and so we have to be proud of what we did in in the first half and it was impossible to do that in the second half but what they offered and again I I go back to the game that they what we saw against Bayern Munich at in the first in the first leg of I think the quarterfinal or semi-final that was insane that's not football that we can see now it's without any tactic it goes and it goes so well that you can do whatever you want it works because you sharp because you're technically so good because you know each other so well but it's impossible to carry on like for for 90 minutes but that was great >> PSU boss would be pretty good final wouldn't it >> hey but >> awesome hey speaking of strange noises Liverpool was made Stevie making some yesterday >> cuz they scored lots of goals Stevie >> a was joy to watch >> joy to watch did you watch I didn't. >> Well, you're kind of sitting watching with a >> No, you had to get up early then. >> Yeah, I managed to crawl it. >> Right now, it's watching it with a feels like a touch of irony. It's like six. >> Could have been more and you're like >> at the end of the day the opposition weren't up to it. So yeah, it's always fantastic for any team to create chances and score goals. It it can do nothing but good for you uh from a mental point of view, but the truth is the opposition were a bit embarrassing. >> Have you got anyone who have you got this weekend? Do you know? >> No idea. >> Yeah, I'm ne uh YouTube is where you can catch up with all the latest news from the Champions League. Be sure to go to ESPNFC and subscribe.