Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca believes his side deserved more from their 4-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, claiming Luis Enrique admitted the French champions were unlucky.
City suffered its first European defeat this season at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening, after falling behind by three goals in the first half.
Erling Haaland scored two goals in the second half to give the home team hope of a comeback, but Paris Saint-Germain held on to take the three points.
Despite the result, Maresca was encouraged by City’s second-half performance and insisted his players created enough chances to get something from the game.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the match, Maresca admitted his side struggled to recover from conceding two goals in quick succession.
He said, “I think we started well until the first goal, then we conceded the second goal a minute later. This created some bad feelings.”
“In the second half, we were much better and probably deserved something more.
“Honestly, it was a bit strange. Until the first goal, we started very well, we were in the game, then we conceded the first goal and then the second.
“We didn’t lose the first half, we adjusted something. We created enough to deserve something more.”
Marisca reveals Luis Enrique’s ‘lucky’ confession.
City’s performance improved after half-time, with Haaland scoring twice as the home side attempted to recover from a three-goal deficit.
Maresca explained that tactical adjustments to City’s pressing helped his players create more opportunities, despite his admission that their defensive balance had deteriorated.
“We adjusted a little bit when we were pressing. I think we lost some balance,” he said.
“Even with a 3-0 lead in the first half, with the number of chances we created in the second half, we deserved more.
“Lewis said at the end of the game that they were very lucky today.
“You have to be clinical but not lose balance.”
