PSG took control of Wednesday’s contest with three first-half goals before City attempted to mount a second-half comeback. Erling Haaland scored twice, reducing the deficit, but Maghnes Akliouche struck in the 62nd minute to restore the visitors’ two-goal cushion.
Akliouche’s goal followed a mistake by Donnarumma, who failed to deal with the effort. The error drew criticism from Benatia, the former Morocco international and Marseille sporting director, during his appearance on Canal Football Club.
“Already, in this kind of match, people talk about the first 15 minutes. They concede two goals in 15 minutes, so on the first one he is clearly at fault. He could have done better,” Benatia said.
He was particularly critical of the timing of the goalkeeper’s second costly moment, which came just as City were beginning to build momentum.
“Then, when Manchester City are playing better and are starting to come back, he lets them down a second time. That makes it a very difficult evening,” he added.
The defeat was a significant result for PSG, who scored twice inside the opening quarter of an hour through Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé. Vitinha added a third before half-time, leaving City with a substantial deficit to overcome.
Haaland gave the home side renewed hope with goals in the 53rd and 75th minutes, but Akliouche’s strike prevented City from completing the comeback.
Donnarumma had joined City after leaving PSG, making the fixture an especially notable meeting with his former club. His mistake proved costly as the visitors maintained their advantage despite City’s improved second-half performance.
Benatia’s criticism reflected the importance of individual errors in matches between elite sides, where a single moment can undo a team’s efforts to recover.
City created further opportunities late on, but PSG held firm to claim a 4-2 victory and make it two wins from their opening two Champions League matches.
For Donnarumma, the performance will invite scrutiny after a night in which his error helped extinguish City’s hopes of salvaging a result.