Exeter boss Gary Caldwell hailed an “unbelievable” win after his side triumphed 2-1 away at Northampton despite playing the whole second half with 10 men.
Luke Harris steered the Grecians ahead at Sixfields but Ryan Woods saw red for violent conduct after clashing heads with Jon Guthrie on the stroke of half-time.
Northampton dominated possession in the second half but created little and even though Guthrie did bring them level, Exeter claimed all three points thanks to Will Aimson’s 83rd-minute winner.
“It was another brilliant display of character and team spirit,” said Caldwell. “I thought the way we started the game was excellent.
“We were surprised by their team, they showed us a lot of respect and changed formation and they locked onto our box and tried to stop us playing.
“But when we adjusted, I thought we caused them a lot of problems and we scored during that period and we could have scored more goals.
“The game then became a bit loose just before half-time and the sending off changes everything but this team fights and always finds a way and it was another unbelievable win.
“It’s not the first time we have won with 10 men this season and that’s all about resilience and character.”
On the red card, Caldwell said: “I think it’s really soft. There’s a coming together and he goes down very, very easily and the referee couldn’t wait to get his red card out.”
The defeat drops Northampton out of the top half of League One.
Manager Jon Brady said: “I actually thought we started really well. For 10 or 15 minutes we dominated the game, we stepped onto them and we had most of the ball.
“Exeter haven’t lost away from home since Christmas and they got back into it but we really stepped on the gas and we’ve hit the post and had shots cleared off the line.
“The goalkeeper’s put one onto the bar and another shot hits our player on the chest when it was going in so we should have scored two or three in that period, but we gave away a real sloppy goal for the first one.
“They then have a man sent off and they sit behind the ball and we get it back to 1-1 but did we really test their goal enough? Probably not.
“But then we give another goal away. We go to clear the ball and it hits their player on the foot and goes in. It’s disappointing because of course you want to finish with a win at home but it’s still been a brilliant season.”
Michel proud Girona's Champions League bow despite late defeat
Michel has urged his team to be proud of their Champions League debut, despite a heartbreaking late defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
The visitors neutralised PSG's attack for much of the game, only for Paulo Gazzaniga, who had made a number of good saves, to let Nuno Mendes' tame delivery slip through his hands and into the back of the net.
The goalkeeper's own goal was the first in the 90th minute of a Champions League game since November 2022 (Porto's Ivan Marcano vs Atletico Madrid), while it was the first-ever such goal that proved to be the winner.
Despite the defeat, the Girona head coach praised his team's effort and the performance of his goalkeeper up until the goal.
"Now in the dressing room, people are a little bit down," Michel told reporters. "I told them that we have to be proud of the game we played.
"PSG subdued us, Gazzaniga made some good saves. There were two or three that could have been goals.
"We have to recognise that their victory is deserved but we are proud of the way we work.
"Let's see if we get another chance to come to Paris next year."
The Spaniard admitted his players were nervous in their first taste of Europe's elite club competition, but he was satisfied with their game as they faced a top-level team.
"At the start of the game, we were very nervous, you could see that. But as the first half went on, we found personality, commitment, attitude," he added.
"In the second half, we were tired. PSG pressed us more, we were continually defending a lot. We passed our first experience in the Champions League.
"We competed against a great team where the pressure can stiffen you and the team gave a good performance."
Girona face Feyenoord in their second league-phase fixture.
'Worse than giving birth' - Luis Enrique notes tough nature of PSG win
Luis Enrique compared Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League opener to childbirth as he admitted he did not enjoy watching their tense late win over Girona.
PSG secured victory after Girona's goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted numerous efforts from the French champions, made a calamitous error in the final minutes.
Nuno Mendes' tame, low delivery into the box slipped through the goalkeeper's grasp and into the back of the net, snatching PSG all three points in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.
Though winning in fortuitous circumstances, PSG have now only lost one of their 37 home games in the group stage of the Champions League (W29 D7) since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and Luis Enrique acknowledged the tough nature of this victory.
"I think we were superior, but Girona played us in circles and made us dizzy," Luis Enrique told Movistar Plus.
"At half-time, we said that if we didn't press, we were going to suffer. We had to win, and it was very difficult.
"It was very difficult. I told [Girona manager] Michel that this was worse than giving birth, with all due respect."
Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight sides in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the last 16, and the next 16 playing a further knockout round.
Luis Enrique observed that the format creates uncertainty about the significance of results.
"Winning a match or any title is difficult, but we don't know the dimensions of this competition with this format," he added.
"We are going to have to play matches against teams that have easier schedules than ours. How many points are we going to need? There are many unknowns that need to be cleared up."
Despite the victory, PSG suffered a setback as striker Marco Asensio limped off just before half-time. However, Luis Enrique was confident in the strength of his squad.
"He felt a twinge. Marco had started the season well. This is professional football, and we have a very good squad."
PSG will next play Reims away in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Atlanta United 2-2 Inter Miami: Miranchuk stunner ends visitors' winning run
Aleksei Miranchuk's stunning late goal salvaged a 2-2 draw for Atlanta United, ending Inter Miami's winning streak.
The visitors brought Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez off the bench in the second half but were unable to make it six wins on the bounce.
Miami had the better of the first half, with Julian Gressel forcing Brad Guzan into an acrobatic save before David Ruiz snuck in behind the hosts' defence to slot a lovely low shot into the bottom-right corner.
In the 56th minute, Saba Lobjanidze met Pedro Amador's whipped cross with a thumping header, nodding it through Drake Callender's legs, and the keeper arguably should have done better.
But just three minutes later, Miami were back in front – Leonardo Campana's free-kick from just outside the box took a huge deflection off the wall, giving the keeper no chance.
Messi led the search for a late third, with his low shot palmed away by Guzan straight into Suarez's path, but Amador was perfectly placed on the line to block it.
Atlanta then went straight up the other end, with Miranchuk floating a wonderful shot into the top-left corner after cutting inside from the right before Lobjanidze's late effort deflected off Ian Fray onto the post.
Miami are now eight points clear at the top of the Eastern Conference, while Atlanta sit in 11th.
Data Debrief: Campana makes Miami history
Campana may have got a bit of luck with his goal due to a wicked deflection, but he will not care one bit, as that strike was his 30th goal for Miami.
He now becomes the outright all-time leading scorer for the club, overtaking Gonzalo Higuain, though Messi is just three behind him.
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