Manchester City are in a great position to advance to their first-ever Champions League final.
Pep Guardiola’s side came from behind last night at the Parc des Princes to win 2-1.
Scoring two away goals is huge for City – score once more at the Etihad and it will be a mammoth task for PSG to make the final for a second year running.
The second-half performance last night was outstanding, with several players really coming in clutch – goalscorers Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez obviously springing to mind.
But there was someone else who really impressed last night who’s gone slightly under the radar, as he often has this season.
Oleksandr Zinchenko started the game on the bench, but was sent into the action as a replacement for Joao Cancelo, who was on a yellow card.
The Ukraine international was near-faultless during the 30 minutes he was on the pitch, and it was he that set De Bruyne for the slightly fortuitous equalising goal
Kylian Mbappe and Neymar didn’t have a sniff while he was on the pitch, and he has staked a big claim to start the second leg.
It’s been the story of his season really.
He’s been putting in solid performances all term without getting too much credit, and he deserves massive praise for that.
Zinchenko coming into his own now
This was a player Pep Guardiola was open to offloading a couple of years ago.
Wolverhampton Wanderers had reportedly agreed a transfer fee with City (Sky Sports), only for Zinchenko to turn the move down in order to stay and fight for his place.
He hasn’t always been a regular since, but this season at least, Zinchenko has improve significantly.
To be holding his own now in this team full of superstars is just a testament to his character and work ethic.
He’s a tremendous talent, and hopefully he keeps on shining – few deserve that more than he does.
