Barcelona managed to secure a narrow one-goal advantage against PSG, heading into the next leg of their quarter-final next week.
The French champions paid the price for a lackluster and inexperienced performance, ultimately suffering a 3-2 defeat on their home turf.
In the initial 20 minutes, there were some half-chances, but Barcelona came close to scoring first when Gianluigi Donnarumma couldn’t hold Ilkay Gundogan’s corner, and Robert Lewandowski’s header had to be cleared off the goal line by Nuno Mendes.
Right before halftime, Barcelona took the lead.
Robert Lewandowski skillfully evaded the PSG defense and passed to Lamine Yamal, whose low cross slipped through Donnarumma’s grasp, landing perfectly for Raphinha to find the top corner with ample time to prepare.
However, PSG quickly equalized within three minutes of the second half kickoff.
Barcelona struggled to deal with a sharp Mbappe cross, leading to Ousmane Dembele scoring into the top of Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s net from just inside the box.
In a swift response from the subsequent kick-off, the hosts completely changed the game’s dynamics.
A beautiful play on the right side allowed Fabian Ruiz to set up Vitinha, who managed to poke the ball past Ter Stegen.
Around the 60-minute mark, Barcelona leveled the score at 2-2.
Pedri, who had just come on as a substitute, lofted a fantastic ball over the PSG defense for Raphinha, who volleyed into the bottom corner with the outside of his left foot.
With 15 minutes remaining, Barcelona took the lead once more when Gundogan’s corner reached deep into PSG’s six-yard box and Andreas Christensen headed the ball over the line.
It was a highly competitive encounter between these two European giants but there’s all to play for in Spain next week.
