PARIS: Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-2 away win over embattled Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League on Wedne­sday, while Bradley Barcola hit his first Liverpool goals with a hat-trick in a 6-3 win over LASK in Austria.

Elsewhere in a prolific night of European action, Real Madrid came back from 3-1 down to beat AS Roma 4-3, and Aston Villa demolished Fenerbahce 6-0 at Villa Park.

City were playing at home at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since being found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules over almost a decade that have left them facing the prospect of severe sanctions.

That verdict appeared to be hanging over the City team as PSG raced into a three-goal lead just past the half-hour mark, with Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha all netting for the French side.

With former boss Pep Guardiola watching on, City produced a second-half fightback as Erling Haaland scored twice to take him to four Champions League goals already this season.

However, PSG got a fourth in between the Norwegian’s strikes, with City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma unable to keep out a Maghnes Akliouche shot.

Donnarumma later made some amends by saving a Ferran Torres penalty, but City succumbed by the same margin as in their last Champions League meeting with PSG in January 2025.

“In the first half we were far superior to a great City side,” Paris coach Luis Enrique told broadcaster Canal Plus. “You can think these games are over, but it is never the case at this level, and we could have ended up losing.”

Enrique said that his side was lucky to get away with a victory.

“We could have lost this match if they scored the chances that they created,” said Enrique. “I think it was a very nice match, but the way they play, it’s amazing. We like to play these kinds of matches.”

Back-to-back title-holders PSG have won both Champions League games this season, scoring 10 goals in the process. They face Barcelona next week.

“Even with 3-0 in the first half, with the amount of chances we created in the second half, we deserved more,” City coach Enzo Maresca told TNT Sports.

Meanwhile, Barcola, a big-money summer signing from PSG, had not found the net for Liverpool before scoring three times at the Raiffeisen Arena after Ronald Araujo had broken the deadlock against the Austrian champions.

Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas also netted for Andoni Iraola’s side, who were 4-0 ahead at one point before LASK scored three times in the space of 15 second-half minutes through Robert Ljubicic and Florian Flecker’s brace.

“Obviously I think he has to enjoy this because to score a hat-trick in the Champions League is always very difficult,” said Iraola of France forward Barcola.

Iraola further added that Barcola will have to cope with the scrutiny that comes with a huge price tag.

“Football is like this. You win a game, you are incredible; you have a bad performance, you are a disaster,” said Iraola at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Brentford. “It is going to be like this for Bradley, for everyone who works in football. We have to assume this.”

REAL LATE SHOW, VILLA HIT SIX

There was a dramatic denouement in Italy, where a Marten de Roon goal and a Donyell Malen brace had Roma 3-1 up against Real Madrid inside the final 10 minutes.

However, the visitors, who had earlier seen Kylian Mbappe score on his 100th Champions League appearance, produced an incredible late fightback.

Carlos Espi pulled one back in the 82nd minute, and Brazil forward Endrick equalised before Antonio Rudiger grabbed a last-minute winner for Jose Mourinho’s men.

Vinicius Junior was slapped with a four-match ban just hours before their clash with Roma kicked off, and Mourinho hit out at the “shameless” decision by Spanish football.

The Brazil international was handed the punishment on Wednesday after being sent off during Saturday’s 1-0 La Liga win over Villarreal for pulling the hair of an opponent.

It is a costly ban, depriving Mourinho of one of his star attackers for an important run of league games that includes a Clasico clash with rivals Barcelona, who hold a six-point lead over Real at the summit of the table.

“Do you think it’s normal that a player from a Spanish team, who has to play a match that is also important for Spanish football, that two hours before the match a player knows he’s been given a four-match suspension?” Mourinho said.

“Couldn’t they do it now? Couldn’t they do it tomorrow morning? Do we have to come by bus and almost arrive at the stadium when we find out Vinicius has a four-match suspension?”

Mourinho added: “They do things shamelessly now. The cat is out of the bag now. Two hours before the match, a player must know he has a four-match suspension.”

In Birmingham, Swiss international Johan Manzambi opened the scoring for Villa against Fenerbahce on his 21st birthday, setting his club up for their biggest ever European victory.

Nicolas Jackson scored twice before half-time, and Ross Barkley bagged a second-half brace including a penalty. Tammy Abraham completed the scoring, leaving the Turkish side stunned.

Fredrik Sjovold got the only goal of the game as Norway’s Bodo/Glimt beat former European champions Borussia Dortmund 1-0, while Real Betis beat FC Porto 3-2 in Spain.

Abde Ezzalzouli put Betis ahead just after half-time, only for Gabri Veiga and Samuel Aghehowa to hit back for the Portuguese champions. However, Juan Hernandez levelled again, and veteran Isco got a late winner.

In Rotterdam, Feyenoord beat Como 3-2 as the Dutch side’s coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst got the better of Cesc Fabregas.

Assane Diao gave the Italians the lead, but Gjivai Zechiel and Anis Hadj Moussa struck for Feyenoord before an own goal by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez made it 3-1. Anastasios Douvikas then pulled one back.

Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk were playing at home for the first time at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge Stadium, and they marked the occasion with a 3-1 win over AEK Athens.

Lovro Majer gave AEK the lead, but a Pedrinho penalty levelled matters before Vinicius Tobias and Gleiker Mendoza sealed the win to leave Shakhtar on four points from two outings.

VfB Stuttgart won 3-0 away to Slovan Bratislava in the night’s other game.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2026