Barcelona have taken a big step towards a spot in this season’s Champions League semi-finals thanks to an epic 3-2 comeback victory against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night. After a great first half the Blaugrana collapsed in the first 15 minutes of the final period and looked in danger of suffering a bad defeat, but found a way back in the game and will take a massive result back home ahead of next week’s second leg.
The opening 10 minutes belonged to PSG, who as expected took the initiative early at home, pressed high up the pitch and had almost all of the possession. But they ran into a very well organized Barça backline, and despite a couple of shots on target the home side never came close to bothering Marc-André ter Stegen in the Blaugrana goal.
PSG then hit the woodwork twice through Bradley Barcola and Dembele, but former Chelsea defender Christensen (77) nodded in the match-settling goal from close range from a corner just seconds after entering the pitch.
It rounded off a topsy-turvy first-leg encounter, ahead of the decisive return fixture in Barcelona next week.
PSG tried to make their home advantage count early on with a flurry of early chances.
Kylian Mbappe fired wide from inside the box, before Kang-In Lee and Marco Asensio tested goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s palms from outside the box. Nuno Mendes nearly scored a brilliant solo goal but a last-ditch block from Ronald Araujo blocked his effort inside the penalty area.
But Barcelona grew into the game after a tricky start and nearly took the lead as Robert Lewandowski beat Gianluigi Donnarumma at a corner, but Mendes scampered back to clear off the line.
Raphinha then tested the PSG goalkeeper with a stunning long-range drive which needed to be tipped wide, but the Brazilian eventually got his opener eight minutes before half-time.
Lewandowski did brilliantly to feed teenager Lamine Yamal down the right, his cross was palmed into the path of Raphinha, who found the top corner after adjusting his feet.
That goal acted as a sucker punch for PSG at half-time but the French side came out galvanised and six minutes into the second period, they had two goals to put them ahead.
First, Dembele latched onto Mbappe’s cleared cross to fire a thunderbolt into the roof of the net. Then, Vitinha was slipped in by Fabian Ruiz and the PSG midfielder tucked in a finish past Ter Stegen.
PSG manager Luis Enrique: “It’s too soon. We need time to reflect but it was a pity. Really a pity. Because we started the match properly and in a good mood but after we conceded the goal, we were a bit disappointed.
“The second half we started in the best way for us. We could have scored the third one, but we suffered the second goal and the last goal with 2-2, we created some chances. But we still have the spirit to go to Barcelona and win.
“Sometimes you have to change things [at half-time] because of the result. The team was at a high level in the second half, they [Barcelona] didn’t even cross the halfway line until the second goal. But they’re a good team and played a good match.
“You have to play as a team and try to overcome that Barcelona team. We are going to go there with the best attitude and commitment to win the match.”
Source Sky Sports
