Paris Saint-Germain 2-3 Barcelona Player Ratings
Kylian Mbappe had a game to forget
HIGHLIGHTS
Barcelona overcame a 3-2 deficit to defeat PSG.Initially, PSG had overturned the deficit with two goals in as many minutes in the second half.Barcelona made a great comeback, scoring goals from Raphinha and Christensen to take a one-goal lead.
After defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal match, Barcelona left France with a one-goal lead. Raphinha gave the visitors the lead in the first half. Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha then scored two goals in short succession to threaten a PSG comeback. However, a second Raphinha goal and a winner from Andreas Christensen gave Xavi’s team the victory.
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Although the outcome was dramatic, Barcelona now has a slight advantage when they play PSG in Spain the following week in hopes of securing a position in the Champions League semifinals.
Player Ratings
Barcelona Controlled the Game Early
Raphinha scored the only goal of the first half
Even though Barcelona was playing at home against PSG, they got off to a superior start and dominated the first forty-five minutes of the match. The Spanish created multiple excellent opportunities early on, and they may have taken a comfortable lead at halftime if Gianluigi Donnarumma hadn’t played well in the first half.
However, they were only able to take a one-goal lead because Raphinha, a former Leeds United player, easily scored when the Italian goalkeeper parried Lamine Yamal’s cross into his path.
The Catalan giants would have felt confident as the second half got closer since they deserved to be ahead at the half.
PSG Turned the Game on its Head After the Restart
They scored two and took the lead after just five minutes
Whatever Luis Enrique said to his team at halftime worked wonders as PSG came out in the second half and immediately turned the tie on its head in the most impressive of fashion. Just two minutes after the restart, Dembele levelled things up with a thunderous strike that rifled into the top of the Barcelona goal.
Moments later, they were at it again and Vitinha scored to give PSG the lead. After a ball was played through the Spanish side’s defence, the midfielder poked the ball home and really had Barcelona rocked. It was a lightning-fast turnaround for the home side and had turned the game around in the blink of an eye.
Often questioned for their mentality and their tendency to crumble when the going got tough in the past under Xavi, Barcelona refused to go roll over for PSG, despite the blistering start to the second half and they soon regained their composure and fought their way back into the contest.
Barcelona Turned Things Around Again
Goals from Raphinha and Andres Christensen saw the lead flip
After Raphinha scored his second goal of the match, Barcelona and PSG were tied once more, just over ten minutes after Vitinha had given PSG the lead. The young sensation made an instant impression just one minute after Pedri entered the game off the visitors’ bench. He lobbed a fantastic ball over the top of the home team’s defense, and Raphinha was quick to seize the opportunity, poking the ball past Donnarumma on the volley.
Even after the equalizer, PSG had multiple fantastic opportunities to take the lead back and win the rematch. First, a shot by Bradley Barcola, who entered the game at halftime, was deflected onto the crossbar. Later on, as Dembele attempted to curl the ball past Marc-Andre ter Stegen, he struck the woodwork as well. The shot struck the outside of the right-hand post. Dembele was playing against his old club. Minutes after the Dembele mistake, Barcelona put themselves ahead once more, bringing those missed opportunities back to haunt the French team.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: The 2014–15 season marked the last time Barcelona defeated PSG at the Parc des Princes.
Early in the second half, it appeared as though Barcelona would collapse, but they rallied and took the lead again in the 77th minute when Christensen got onto the end of a corner and headed the ball past Donnarumma. It was just one more amazing turn in an exciting Champions League battle.
In the end, Barcelona prevailed, and they will head into the rematch at Camp Nou next week with a one-goal lead. View the whole highlights of the match below.