Luis Enrique's side came from 1 goal down to shock Barcelona and had a Kylian Mbappe brace to thank.
In a night filled with goals, excitement and red cards, Paris Saint-Germain came back from 1-0 down to secure passage into the semi-finals of the Champions League after their 4-1 win over Barcelona saw them progress into the next stage with an aggregate score of 6-4.
Luis Enrique's side started the affair the brighter of the two, but their pressure was to no avail. Barcelona youngster Lamine Yamal produced a moment of magic on the right as he skipped past Nuno Mendes to deliver a ball into the danger zone, one that Raphinha met to slot home. The game's fortunes were flipped on their head when Ronald Araujo was sent off in the 29th minute.
Just 11 minutes after the hosts were reduced to 10 men, Ousmane Dembele gave the French side a lifeline in Montjuic with a pristine first-time finish five minutes shy of the interval. Vitinha managed to draw the two-legged tie level nine minutes after the restart with a brilliant long-range effort, which left Marc-Andre ter Stegen hapless.
A sorry challenge from Joao Cancelo then gave PSG the opportunity to go infront on aggregate and none other than Kylian Mbappe stepped up to convert from the spot. The world-beating Frenchman put the icing on the cake in the 88th minute, notching his second of the night. With two minute of play remaining, Mbappe sent the away support into elation, finding a superb finish to make it 4-1 on the night.
Key Match Statistics |
||
---|---|---|
Barcelona |
Stats |
Paris Saint-Germain |
3 |
Shots on target |
9 |
4 |
Shots off target |
12 |
33% |
Possession |
67% |
10 |
Fouls |
12 |
3 |
Corner kicks |
9 |
5 |
Yellow cards |
4 |
The visitor’s bright start didn’t trouble the German veteran too much, and he only conceded one goal from PSG's series of shots in the first half. The second half was less fruitful, and he conceded three in the 90-minute period.
Kounde did his best to contain Barcola but endured his fair share of challenges throughout. Performed an integral clearance early on to keep PSG out but couldn't help
Strong in duels and kept Mbappe quiet in his short-lived cameo. Sent off for a misjudged shoulder barge around the half hour mark.
Although he showed his lack of experience at times, Cubarsi was relatively solid throughout. At such a tender age, the Spaniard will have many Champions League nights to come and tonight, if anything, will be a lesson.
Suspect in his defending and position for Dembele's goal. Struggled to track runners in the first half and that continued into the second half as the left-back gave away a penalty, which allowed PSG to take the lead on aggregate. A night to forget.
Barcelona’s metronome, de Jong kept things ticking over all night but struggled to compete with the likes of Mbappe and Ruiz, who were picking up pockets of space in the No.10 position.
Pedri was more than happy to receive the ball in difficult spaces to get his side out of trouble. Composed and used his experience to put out fires in midfield. Despite the loss, the German can hold his head high.
For the best part of the fixture, the midfielder ran himself into the ground. Largely helped Barcelona stay compact when under the cosh in the second half but was no match for the legs of the PSG midfield.
Highly influential in Barcelona’s opener, leaving Mendes in the dust, and looked threatening until taken off in the 33rd minute. Sacrificed due to Araujo’s red card.
Lewandowski used his experience in the early stages but lacked it as the game went on. The seasoned striker dropped deep and offered out balls for teammates but was way too feeble in his approach for Vitinha's goal.
One of La Blaugrana’s brightest livewires. Energetic and impactful, Raphinha enjoyed a fruitful night on the left, particularly in the first half, and even notched his side’s first goal of the affair. Didn't have as much joy in the second 45.
Struggled with the intensity of the game contributed to Barcelona's lack of defensive solidity after his introduction.
Looked to get Barcelona back into the tie but struggled.
Felix was bright in parts, but wasn't given enough time to stamp his authority on the game.
Gave Barcelona some extra legs and bite in midfield but was unable to make too much of a difference.
Looked dumbfounded when caught in no man's land by Barcelona's first goal. In truth, the former AC Milan man didn't look at his best at all. He did have to make two crucial saves.
Defended well but didn't offer as much as he would like for PSG going forward until the latter stages. Helped by their numerical advantage, the Moroccan was not at his best.
The seasoned Brazilian, despite his top level expertise, looked out of sorts and uncomfortable on the ball. Came into his own in the latter stages of the encounter and produced some god-like blocks to hold onto their lead.
Much more composed than his centre-back partner, but wasn't too influential. Kept things assured at the back when Barcelona were piling on the pressure and kept Lewandowski relatively quiet.
Struggled with the directness of Yamal until the youngster was taken off. Mendes offered very little from an attacking point of view and looked largely out of his depth against Barcelona's attack.
A true battler in the middle of the park, Ruiz was difficult to get past in the first half. Early in the second stage, the Spanish midfielder fluffed his chance to put PSG ahead on the night but can hold his head high.
Vitinha looked composed and was happy to receive the ball in tight spaces in order to work his magic. That came true in the 54th minute as the 24-year-old's strike rippled the back of the net.
Was outplayed by his midfield partners and was fairly anonymous throughout. Struggled to contain Gundogan but still kept it simple and compact when needed.
Against his former club, he scored a wonderfully taken goal in the first half to give his side a much-needed lifeline. Not only that, but he consistently gave Cancelo problems throughout, often finding cute spaces behind the Portuguese. A brilliant performance all round.
Mbappe started centrally but was given free license to roam, which didn't work out in the first half. In such an important game, you'd expect your side's brightest asset to perform out of his skin. The French forward did not do that until he scored PSG's third of the night.
Showcased his brilliance with quick feet and trickery and was PSG's main threat going forward. Set up Dembele’s goal and was a nuisance for the right-hand side of Barcelona's defence from minute one to 90.
Accurate in his passing but had limited involvement.
Replaced the brilliant Barcola and kept things simple up top to see out a win.
Afforded little time to make an impact.
Brought on with just two minutes of the 90 remaining.
Despite being harangued by the Barcelona contingent for the majority of the European affair, Dembele was at his dazzling best. A nuisance to handle from minute one to 90, the Frenchman's superb goal encapsulated what was a brilliant performance from the 26-year-old.
Cancelo was unable to contain the quick feet of Dembele, as evidenced by his challenge which elicited the game-changing penalty on the hour mark. While his goalscoring has come under scrutiny in the French capital, tonight was a night when Dembele proved his worth.