Joe Hart Saves Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Penalty: Highlights, Reaction to PSG vs City
Joe Hart made a fine return to the Manchester City team on Wednesday in what he later described as a "crazy game," saving a penalty from Paris Saint-Germain forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the sides' 2-2 draw in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
The mercurial Swede, who later made it 1-1 to PSG on the night, stepped up after David Luiz was felled in the box by Bacary Sagna in the 14th minute of a frantic match. But he was unable to give the French champions the lead, as we can see here, courtesy of BT Sport Football:
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Hart has been out of the City team with an injury as of late, with Willy Caballero deputising in the Premier League against Bournemouth on Saturday. Afterwards, he spoke about what was a chaotic contest, per the tournament's official Twitter feed:
His return to the side ahead of this critical contest was a major boost for manager Manuel Pellegrini, as City go in search of their second piece of silverware this season following on from the League Cup triumph.
As ever, the goalkeeper has been one of the team’s most consistent performers. These statistics from OptaJose point to a penalty-saving expert in the Champions League, too:
Ibrahimovic famously scored a wonderful, long-range overhead kick against Hart for Sweden against England in 2012, so this stop represented a measure of revenge for the 'keeper.
However, the striker soon got his own back, equalising before half-time after Kevin de Bruyne's opening goal. An awful error from Fernando let Ibrahimovic in, but ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney felt that Hart could have done more:
In the second half, Adrien Rabiot put PSG in front after latching onto Hart's parry. The England goalkeeper did well to keep Edinson Cavani's header out but couldn't steer it clear of the young midfielder, who had the simple tasking of tucking the chance home.
As these numbers from Squawka Football show, Rabiot only trails Ibrahimovic for PSG goals in this year's competition:
The visitors are arguably favourites to progress at the halfway point, though, as Fernandinho's deflected effort game them a vital second away goal.
"Zlatan is not bad is he?" said Hart afterwards, per BBC Sport's Tom Rostance. "I haven't seen it again but the penalty felt very soft."
City are playing in the quarter-finals of European football’s top competition for the first time in the club’s history. Hart, having won the Premier League on two occasions with the club, would love to add this prestigious title to his trophy haul at the Etihad Stadium.
This title has eluded Ibrahimovic too, and while he netted on the night, his penalty wasn't the best and his overall performance was below usual high standards. If PSG are to progress, you suspect they'll be looking to their No. 10 to prompt a monumental performance.
