Whatever happens in the second leg, City will always have Paris.

The narrow, nervy but ultimately deserved 2-1 win over Paris St Germain looked like the moment Manchester City finally came of age in Europe.

It was a comeback that showed character, continental savvy and maturity. And if there was a bit of luck about it, it was long overdue.

For all their domestic success, City had been masters of finding ways to lose in the Champions League. This was only their second appearance in the last four, the quarter-final being their usual limit.

That’s when the old City suddenly would resurface: the pre-takeover City that for decades had developed and patented new and innovative ways to snatch defeat from victory’s jaws.

It was as if they forgot who they were, forgot they had half the oil money in the Gulf behind them, that they were now stars not stiffs.

And even when Raheem Sterling did score a dramatic late “winner” in the quarter-final against Spurs two years ago, instead of it being second only to the “Aguero moment”, they were brought back to earth by VAR at its most pernickety.

It was almost as if they were jinxed.

So, a performance like this, at this lofty altitude, against ‘A’ list opponents in one of Europe’s football cathedrals, had been a long time coming.

It’s almost 13 years since the Abu Dhabi takeover and an almost inconceivable 10 since Pep Guardiola, himself, was in a Champions League final. It’s so long ago, he still had some hair!

This was once “his” tournament. When his very own mesmeric Barcelona, with Messi, Iniesta and Xavi pulling the strings, you felt he owned it, wrote the script and the anthem.

But after two victories while at the Nou Camp, things have always conspired against him. Chelsea somehow found a way to knock Barca out in the semi-final in 2012.

After a year’s sabbatical, despite inheriting a Treble-winning side at Bayern, he could never get them beyond the semis – three times in a row.

And then with City, he’s seen the exit door in the Round of 16 and three quarter-finals, last year a lamentable surrender to Lyon.

Pep didn’t overthink this time, but just thought. He did it his way: no striker, no problem. His teams can walk the ball into the net.

But not this time, it seemed. In the first half, it looked like the old City had come back to haunt him yet again. Neymar ran the show and City conceded a goal from a set-piece.

But Pep didn’t panic. He kept faith in the same 11 and whatever he said to them at the break, worked. A Pep talk and a half. Neymar went quiet, Kylian Mbappe? Was he playing?

City bossed the game but still you wondered where the goal was coming from. But then PSG obligingly did “a City” and allowed a curling Kevin de Bruyne cross into the box to curl into the net.

When Riyad Mahrez squeezed a free-kick through the wall seven minutes later, it became vintage “old City”. They employed a draft-excluder but didn’t bother with a bricklayer.

The transformation was completed when PSG lost the plot and Idrissa Gueye earned a straight red for a horror tackle.

So much, then, for El Cashico or El Gasico, as this clash of Gulf-owned mega clubs was inevitably billed. Abu Dhabi triumphed over Qatar, to put it another way.

But whichever way you look at it, for all the billions spent, all the planning and all the sports-washing, it came down to a slice of luck and basic human errors to decide the outcome.

It could all be reversed in Manchester next week with the clubs swapping fall-guy roles, but whoever makes it through to the final in Istanbul, one of these multi-billion-pound enterprises will still be the bridesmaid.

Yup, after all the investment, one set of rich owners will still be wondering what they have to do to win club football’s greatest prize.

Between them, Neymar and Mbappe cost €400m; Pep alone has spent €500m on players.

With the killer pace of Mbappe and flawed genius of Neymar, not to mention the enduring talent of Angel di Maria, a French renaissance cannot be discounted.

They removed Barcelona and Bayern to get this far, and, as the only club not involved in the Super League to reach the semi-final, have a chance to win back some more brownie points for the brand.

Widely despised in France for being what might be called a Jean-come-lately and rich new kid on the block, they are now seen in some quarters as the good guys.

With Qatar hosting the World Cup in 18 months’ time, winning in Europe would be a massive boost for the country.

For the managers, too, there’s a lot riding on the result. Mauricio Pochettino has a far bigger monkey on his back than Pep – the little-regarded French Super Cup, which the ex-Spurs’ boss won in his third game in charge, being the only trophy that he’s ever won.

Pep has won 30, but still needs to land this with City for his own satisfaction. With either Real Madrid or Chelsea to face in the final, whoever wins through will fancy themselves.

But the real winner was the Champions League, the tournament some people wanted to cast into the dustbin of history.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.