Hyde FC played host to the opening encounter in City’s second tilt at the NextGen Series and Attilio Lombardo named many of the players who featured in their impressive 4-0 win against Middlesbrough last time out, including George Evans, Denis Suarez and Jordy Hiwula.
There was a good attendance on a sunny evening at Ewen Fields for the match as 845 locals turned up to benefit from the low ticket prices to cast their eyes over City’s stars of tomorrow in what’s been dubbed “the Champions League of youth football”.
The Blues created enough chances to at least draw the match but on the night two goals from Nicholas Rasjel were enough to consign City to defeat.
Lombardo’s men seemed unwilling to allow their technically gifted visitors to settle on the ball for the first 25 minutes and looked capable of carving the opposition open with decisive thrusts of two to three passes from their midfield quartet of Lopes, Huws, Rusnak and Suarez.
However, it was the Parisians who took the lead on the half-hour mark after Evans’ pass was read by Ongenda who slipped in Rajsel delightfully for the big no.9 to calmly finish.
Roberto Mancini was in the stands for the match and would have jotted into his notebook plenty of encouraging scribbles on Emyr Huws who was a powerhouse in the centre of midfield against a clutch of small, slippery ball playing midfielders.
Huws only blotted his copybook on the hour mark when an overzealous late tackle ensured his name was the first in Mr D Handley’s notebook.
Pozo came on for Huws shortly after and was involved straightaway, driving into the heart of the PSG defence and releasing Hiwula who was cynically brought down by Arrondel who joined Huws in the book. The resulting free-kick from Rusnak was well hit but only stung Areola’s fingertips, as the PSG keeper beat the ball away.
PSG quickly regained their swagger and after a good five minute spell doubled their advantage through Rajsel who finished neatly with the outside of his foot in the 78th minute to end the game as a contest.
City will next face Fenerbahce at Hyde FC in search of a first win in the competition on 13 September.
