Riyad Mahrez has equaled Sadio Mane’s Champions League feat following his goal against Paris Saint-Germain.
The Algeria international became the second player to score in both legs of the tournament’s semi-final tie for an English team.
2 - Riyad Mahrez is only the second player to score in both legs of a Champions League semi-final tie for an English club after Sadio Mané in 2017-18. Valuable.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 4, 2021
Liverpool’s Mane was the first Premier League player to achieve this after scoring against AS Roma in both legs of their last four fixture.
Consequently, Jurgen Klopp’s Reds qualified for the final where they bowed 3-1 to eventual champions Real Madrid inside Kyiv’s NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium that year.
The Citizens headed into Tuesday’s clash on the back of 2-1 triumph at the Parc des Princes, with Mauricio Pochettino’s men needing a convincing win to scale through.
Despite a strong start at the Etihad Stadium, it was the hosts who took the lead in the 11th minute courtesy of the former Le Havre and Leicester City star.
It started with a wonderful long pass upfield from goalkeeper Ederson Moraes to pick out Oleksandr Zinchenko down the left and he pulled it back for Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgium international’s shot from the edge of the box was blocked by Marquinhos in the middle, but the defender played it straight to Mahrez who drilled it across goal, past Keylor Navas and into the far bottom corner.
That effort saw the 30-year-old overtake Yacine Brahimi to become Algeria’s top scorer in the history of the Champions League with nine goals.
Riyad Mahrez overtakes Yacine Brahimi to become Algeria’s top scorer in the history of the Champions League with nine goals. #MCIPSG
— Shina Oludare 🇳🇬 (@sportingshina) May 4, 2021
The goal was a reality check for the visiting French team, albeit, their pouring attacks yielded no goals even with their superior ball possession.
At the end of the first-half, it was Guardiola’s men who took a slim lead into the half-time break.
The winner on aggregate will square up against Chelsea or Real Madrid in the final billed for Istanbul’s Ataturk Olympic Stadium.