Manchester City let a late win slip away against PSG

Five minutes. That's how long Manchester City's joy lasted at the Etihad. Khadija Shaw had converted a penalty in the 85th minute to make it 1-0, and it looked like the team was finally about to land its first European win of the season. But Champions League women's soccer had another blow in store for the English side, who ended up drawing 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain and remain winless in the league phase.

The equalizer stings all the more because it came from the very same foul that had led to the penalty. Griedge Mbock Bathy, who committed the infraction on Shaw, recovered almost instantly, launching a long ball that found City's defense completely asleep, and Tara Elimbi made no mistake, scoring the 1-1 just three minutes after the home side's goal.

What makes it most frustrating for the home fans is that the match had more than enough chances to have been settled well before that. Shaw, who had scored in her last five matches for club and country and had just finished third in the Ballon d'Or at a gala held in London days earlier, endured a frustrating night in front of goal for 85 minutes. She missed an incredible header in the third minute off a cross from Aoba Fujino, and eight minutes later, set up at the edge of the box by a tireless Lauren Hemp, she sent her shot off target.

PSG, for their part, barely threatened on the counter. Léa-Laëtitia Morissaint tried her luck and shot wide before the break, while Sakina Karchaoui sent a free kick over the crossbar. The match seemed destined for a scoreless draw when, in the 66th minute, Polish goalkeeper Oliwia Szperkowska made a crucial save to deny Shaw, who would have two more equally clear chances before finally getting her revenge from the penalty spot.

A worrying run of form

The setback comes just days after another similar gut punch: City let slip a 1-0 lead against Manchester United, seeing its perfect record in the Women's Super League come to an end. Now, with this latest draw, the club has gone three straight games without a win in the Champions League league phase, having previously drawn with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

It's now been two straight weeks in which the team builds the play, finds what looks like the decisive goal, and then loses it all within minutes. For a squad with players like Shaw in red-hot form, the question hanging in the air is simple: how much longer can City keep generating chances at this level without it translating into points?