Enzo Maresca said he believes Manchester City are "close" to the level of Paris Saint-Germain, despite losing 4-2 to the reigning European champions on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium.
PSG raced into a 3-0 lead after a blistering first-half performance. City conceded two goals in two minutes before the break, which Maresca said created problems for his side. "Before the first goal we didn't concede anything, then we conceded the second one," he said. "In the second half we did enough to deserve something more."
City improved after the interval, with Erling Haaland scoring twice and finishing the night with 27 shots on goal. The rally threatened a remarkable comeback, but the final scoreline looked comfortable for PSG. Maresca said Luis Enrique admitted afterwards that his team had been fortunate to survive the second-half onslaught.
Maresca praised PSG as the best team in Europe over the past two years, noting that they had won almost all their games in the competition during that time. Despite the defeat, he maintained that his team are not far away from matching Luis Enrique's side. "I think we are there, my feeling is we are close," he said.
Source: ESPN Soccer · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing