MANCHESTER (Interstat) — Visiting Paris Saint-Germain scored three times before the break and withstood a pair of Erling Haaland goals to defeat Manchester City 4-2 at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday in the teams’ opening match of the competition. PSG improved to one win and no losses in the competition, while Manchester City fell to no wins and one loss. Across all competitions, PSG now has four wins, one loss and two draws, while Manchester City has six wins and one loss.

PSG seized control almost immediately. Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 13th minute, then Ousmane Dembele made it 2-0 in the 15th. Doue and Dembele each finished with a goal and an assist, with Doue playing 66 minutes and Dembele 76. Vitinha added a third goal in the 32nd minute and played the full match. By halftime, the visitors had a commanding lead and Manchester City was searching for a response.

Manchester City found one through Haaland, who played the full match and scored twice. His first goal came in the 53rd minute, cutting the deficit to 3-1. Haaland’s second arrived in the 75th, but PSG had already answered in between. Maghnes Akliouche scored in the 62nd minute, restoring the visitors’ three-goal cushion. Akliouche played 76 minutes and finished with the goal.

The match grew more physical as the second half wore on. Manchester City’s Semenyo was shown a yellow card in the 61st minute. PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery was booked in the 69th minute, and he also recorded an assist while playing 84 minutes. Fabian Ruiz provided an assist in 84 minutes for PSG, helping the visitors keep their attacking rhythm despite City’s attempts to press forward.

Manchester City made three changes at halftime, introducing Cherki, Dias and Doku. PSG responded with its own substitutions later, removing Doue in the 66th minute and Dembele and Akliouche in the 76th. Ruiz and Zaire-Emery came off in the 84th minute, while Manchester City’s Fernandez was substituted in the 90th. Iliman Ndiaye and Ayyoub Bouaddi each recorded an assist in 44 minutes for Manchester City, giving the home side added width and service in the attacking third.

Haaland remained the central figure for Manchester City. He was on the field for the full 90 minutes and scored both of his team’s goals, one in each half. His second finish gave the home crowd hope, but PSG’s four-goal total and its ability to answer after City’s first goal proved decisive. Doue, Dembele, Vitinha and Akliouche all scored for PSG, while Doue, Dembele, Ruiz and Zaire-Emery contributed assists. The visitors’ balance between early finishing and later control kept Manchester City from completing a comeback.

PSG’s victory gave the club a strong start in the competition and continued a solid run across all competitions. PSG had entered the match following wins over Le Mans, Marseille and Brest, along with draws against Lille and Stade Rennais and a loss to Monaco. Manchester City, meanwhile, was left to regroup after a home loss in its first match of the competition. The result marked a notable away performance for PSG, which scored four times at Etihad Stadium and held off a City side that pushed forward late. Manchester City’s previous results had included wins over Liverpool, Sunderland, Man United, Coventry, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, but the home side could not add another victory.

PSG’s next match is at Strasbourg in Ligue 1. Manchester City will host Ipswich in the Premier League. Both teams will return to domestic play after the midweek competition match. The domestic fixtures will offer both clubs a chance to build on or recover from their midweek form. PSG will then face Lyon at home, while Manchester City is scheduled to visit Aston Villa.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Manchester City 2, PSG 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Manchester City a 69.6 percent probability to win. Manchester City was installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 6 went under the over-under line of 3.5.