Riyad Mahrez from Manchester City and Idrissa Gueye from Paris Saint-Germain will meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League on April 28 and May 4. The two men had played the final of the African Cup of Nations in Cairo 2019, won by Algeria. They also crossed paths in the Premier League.
By beating Dortmund, Manchester City therefore broke its glass roof after three failures in a row in the quarterfinals, released by Olympique Lyonnais last time. And the Premier League ogre can continue to dream of finally winning the Champions League, Graal, with the Algerian international Riyad Mahrez in his staff.
“It’s special because I’m from Paris”
The turning point for the match came in the 53rd minute, when the Italian referee awarded a penalty for an arm of Emre Can in the box. Riyad Mahrez turned everything into force (1-1, 55th). His first goal of the competition this season after 14 games without scoring.
“It’s very good for me, it’s special because I’m from Paris. I was born in Paris, I grew up in Paris … I am very happy to play against this team, it will be a very good game. We also have many meetings before, with the FA Cup semi-final and the Carabao Cup final. After that, we get time to think about this match and focus on it, says the 30-year-old winger.
The first leg of the semi-final will be played on April 28 at the Parc des Princes, before returning on May 4 at the Etihad. Riyad Mahrez will face Senegalese Idrissa Gueye, the two men had already played face to face in the CAN 2019 final in Egypt won by Fennecs. They were also opponents in the Premier League when Idrissa Gueye played for Aston Villa and Everton.
“You were a machine!”
The Senegalese international delivered two fantastic performances against Bayern Munich. “When Ghana left, I said to him, ‘You were a machine! “To congratulate him on the match he made (return meeting, editor’s note), revealed Mauricio Pochettino, the PSG coach. That he delivered a very good service ”. With the lion of Téranga, PSG overcame Bayern Munich, their executioner in the final last year.
“The basis of his game is there, in the activity, the presence,” said Pochettino. Like all players, even the most technical, Ghana only needs to be physically on top because his engine consumes a lot of energy ”.
It was from the bench that the Senegalese witnessed the defeat against Bayern in the previous edition. Now he is ready to return to the limelight and restore a starting place for the next installments.
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