Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona put up an absolute classic at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night. The match ended in a 4-2 Champions League thriller that lived up to every bit of the hype. Luis Enrique’s
side stayed perfect in the league phase with three wins from three, while Hansi Flick’s Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season after an 11-game winning run across all competitions came to a crashing end. The game was very closely fought from the first whistle. Barcelona’s Joan Garcia was already busy early on, making a string of sharp saves to keep the score level.
PSG lost Ousmane Dembele to injury inside 20 minutes and had to reshuffle their side, but they still looked dangerous. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 38th minute when Desire Doue, who was outstanding all night, came into space and curled a lovely finish into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. It was a goal that the hosts deserved after a dominant first half.
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Barcelona came out after the break with real intent. Just ten minutes into the second half, 19-year-old Xavi Espart, making his full Champions League debut, scored a superb goal to level the scores at 1-1. The visitors were suddenly on top, and the Parc des Princes crowd were tense. PSG thought they had regained the lead when Ferran Torres hit the post from close range, but moments later Lucas Hernandez rose highest from a corner to power home a header and make it 2-1 in the 72nd minute.
PSG beat Barcelona in six-goal thriller as Doue wins player of the match
The drama was only just beginning as seven minutes later Lamine Yamal produced a moment of pure magic, gliding past Warren Zaire-Emery before drilling a clinical finish past Matvey Safonov to make it 2-2. Barcelona had the momentum, but PSG’s quality in the final stages proved decisive.
In the 81st minute Vitinha chested the ball down outside the box and smashed a precise low shot into the far corner to restore the lead. Then, with four minutes left, Achraf Hakimi whipped in a dangerous cross and Fabian Ruiz was on hand to tap home the fourth and kill the contest. The late goals left Barcelona shell-shocked.
Doue won the player of the match award for his goal and constant threat, while Yamal once again showed why he is one of the most exciting young talents in world football. For PSG the win keeps them top of the Champions League standings alongside Liverpool. On the other hand, Barcelona, it was a painful first loss of the season.
