After last week’s chaotic 2-2 draw in Paris, City closed out the tie in supremely professional style to break new ground in Europe’s elite competition.
PSG sprung a tactical surprise by playing a three-five-two formation, but City kept their defensive focus before delivering the killer blow through Kevin De Bruyne.
‘’We are very happy,” Mangala said. “Now we need to keep going.
‘’We played at home so our target was to attack and to try to score a goal, to play our game. This is what we tried to do: to impose our game. I think we have been successful. We won 1-0 and we are in the semi-finals.
‘’They also played their game. It was open and I think it was a good game for the fans with a lot of action. We managed to be well organised and to not fall in their trap which is the most important thing.
Asked if he was surprised by PSG’s set up Mangala replied: ‘’Yes, a little bit. They started with 3 defenders and I was not expecting such a tactical approach. After, the most important thing for us was to be focus on our game and our game plan. We stuck to that and it worked for us.’’
Many pundits made City clear underdogs ahead of the tie but 25-year-old Frenchman Mangala had an eloquent assessment of the pre-match predictions.
‘’Everybody has his opinion on this,” the Frenchman reflected. “Some said it was a good draw, others not. In the end, the truth is always on the pitch and I think the answer we gave to that was on the pitch and to qualify for the next round.’’
When asked about his own personal performance Mangala added: ‘’I just tried to do my job like always. It was a team performance, a collective battle and this is the most important thing. After, I just tried to do my job and it worked really well for me tonight.”
