Arsene Wenger has criticised Paris Saint-Germain players for becoming “emotional and aggressive in a stupid way” in their 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Wednesday.
City produced a superb second-half fightback to come from behind and win the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in the Parc des Princes on Wednesday with crucial away goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez.
The French side then had Idrissa Gana Gueye sent off as they lost their composure in the latter stages.
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And former Arsenal boss Wenger described the second goal that PSG conceded as “not acceptable” in a Champions League semi-final.
“From the defenders turning their back, it’s between [Leandro] Paredes and [Presnel] Kimpembe. Why do you lie a guy on the ground if the guys in the wall open the wall?” Wenger told beIN Sports. “I personally believe that the second goal is not acceptable for that level.
“It’s not the first time you see players turning their back. City took advantage of that. In the second half, Paris Saint-Germain was protective, not progressive any more. Is it because they were not physically capable? They did not have the same availability.
“After the 1-1 they collapsed completely. They became emotional and aggressive in a stupid way.
“What was very interesting tonight is that you could see that when it was 1-1, PSG mentally collapsed. This is as well the consequence of this team losing eight games in the league. This has an impact in this kind of situation. When it’s 1-1 the team knows they have lost many games, they carry that.
“It’s not like the season before when they were unbeatable in the league. You could see the confidence drop considerably. The mental impact when Man City equalised in the semi-final of a Champions League was too big.”
PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino was frustrated his side could not build on their early advantage but is determined to fight back next week.
Pochettino said: “We’re very disappointed with the two goals. It’s difficult to accept that this happened in the semi-final – it’s really painful.
“In the second half they were more consistent. It was difficult for us to cope. Physically they were a little bit more aggressive and it was difficult for us to recover the ball.
“But in football you need to believe. We go there in six days and will try to win and score goals. Of course we are under a little bit of pressure but in football you need to try.”
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