An impressive statistic surrounding the production of Manchester City star Riyad Mahrez has surfaced, on the back of his latest dazzling showing on the European stage.
PSG sent packing
Mahrez and City were of course back in action earlier this evening.
The Sky Blues welcomed French champions Paris Saint-Germain to the Etihad, for the 2nd-leg of the highly anticipated Champions League semi-final showdown between the clubs.
It was Pep Guardiola’s men who headed into proceedings in possession of the advantage, having recovered from an early deficit to eventually depart Paris with a 2-1 win last week.
And, when all was said and done on Tuesday, City got the job done once again, to clinch a first-ever Champions League final berth.
Riyad Mahrez, who netted the crucial 2nd at the Parc des Princes last time out, proved the star of the show, notching both goals en route to a 2-0 Citizens victory.
The Algerian’s first came with ten minutes on the clock, when Mahrez picked up the pieces following a blocked Kevin De Bruyne effort to slot between the legs of Keylor Navas from a tight angle:
MAHREZ! ⚽️
That man produces the goods once again! A massive goal for Man City!
And look at the ball from Ederson to start the move off 🤤 pic.twitter.com/i843btxu4J
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 4, 2021
And the former Leicester City man was back at it again just past the hour mark, this time surging in at the back post to put the finishing touches on a flowing team move:
Magnificent Mahrez! 🪄
A beautifully crafted counter-attacking move, and the Algerian winger is at the back post to clean up for his second goal of the night!
Man City are so close to Istanbul! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/8SRlUmCfBp
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 4, 2021
Mane matched
In turn, on the back of the action coming to a close at the Etihad, it has come as little surprise to see the name of one player – Mahrez – steal the limelight.
The Algerian has endured an at times hit and miss stint since swapping Leicester for Manchester in 2018, but, over the last couple of months, has reminded supporters across the globe of just what a special talent he truly is.
Three goals in two Champions League semi-finals is of course the kind of production which speaks for itself.
But, as outlined above, the real extent of Mahrez’s achievement over the course of the last week has since been put into perspective, by an eye-opening statistic.
The Man City star has joined Sadio Mane as only the 2nd player to find the net in both legs of a Champions League semi-final tie for a Premier League club:
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
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