PSG 4-2 FC Barcelona: Paris remain unbeatable with thrilling Champions League win

In what had been billed as the most highly anticipated clash of this year’s competition so far, PSG beat Barcelona 4-2 after a competitive game in which both teams had spells of domination. However, despite rocky moments, this PSG side ended up reminding us all what they have consistently showed throughout the last few seasons: when up against the best in Europe, they just always seem to find a way to win.

Paris take down FC Barcelona in epic European showdown

Barcelona had been in brilliant form leading up to the game, having won eleven games across all competitions so far this season, scoring 48 goals in the process, but it was PSG who got the game off to an electric start, as Barca’s midfield (which, crucially, was missing lynchpin Rodri, at least until the second half) gave the ball away a number of times in the opening exchanges, with PSG bearing down on Barca’s goal a few times in the first five minutes alone.

Ousmane Dembélé, Desiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all had early attempts saved or denied by the woodwork, and the former was then dragged off after pulling his hamstring – with Barcelona’s Dani Olmo also having to be replaced in the early stages. It was Désiré Doué, who had scored both in last week’s 4-2 win at the Etihad stadium against Manchester City and in the weekend’s late comeback victory against Strasbourg, who made the difference first, sweeping home after some good footwork on the edge of the area.

PSG went into the break leading deservedly, but it was Barca who came out rejuvenated in the second half, and when Xavi Espart slammed an equaliser past Matvey Safonov (which the Russian goalkeeper will surely feel he could have done better on) just ten minutes after the break, it certainly didn’t feel as if it were against the run of the game.

It was the next spell that highlighted PSG’s versatility: having dominated by playing devastatingly quick football in the first half, they now became more rugged and defensive, more willing to take an attritional approach to the tie: first firing a warning shot when Ferran Torres slammed the ball off of the near post (the Spaniard missing a couple of guilt-edged opportunities against his former side), and then scoring the go ahead goal from the resulting corner, with Lucas Hernandez rising above Anthony Gordon and steering his header into the corner of the net.

PSG’s renewed lead was quickly pegged back again after Lamine Yamal, the man who was billed as the biggest threat to the European Champions tonight, and lived up to his reputation (at least in the second half, in which he was excellent), tore past Warren Zaire-Emery and somehow prodded the
ball into the roof of Safonov’s net.

Once again, PSG didn’t let Barca’s equaliser dissuade them – this time hitting back even quicker with Vitinha, whose sweet strike from the edge of the box was
rapidly followed up by Fabian Ruiz’s tap in from a few yards out to seal an emphatic victory on what was a thrilling Champions League night. The quickfire nature of the final two PSG goals served as
another reminder of PSG’s tenacity in big games: they didn’t let the Yamal goal affect them and rather seemed content to have to go again, which they continue to be able to do.

This means PSG have now won three games out of three in the Champions League so far this season, having even got their two hardest games of the season out of the way already. It’s also another emphatic win against a European powerhouse for Enrique’s men, after last week’s win over Man City
by the same score line.

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