A Thrilling Show: PSG vs. Barcelona Recap

The game: We were spoiled again

After Manchester City – Real Madrid (3-3) and Arsenal – Bayern Munich (2-2), this PSG-Barça again offered us a high quality show on Wednesday evening, with more errors, but almost as much entertainment . Paris started very strong, pressing high and quickly recovering the ball. But after 10 exciting minutes, the Blaugrana showed themselves to be increasingly sharp in their transitions, and Raphinha was the first to hit the mark (37th).

Luis Enrique replaced Marco Asensio with Bradley Barcola at the break and the French champion immediately set more pace and offered more movements. Three minutes of madness with a firecracker from Ousmane Dembélé (48th) and a great inspiration from Vitinha (51st) could (should?) have allowed Paris to experience a quiet second act. But the Ile-de-France club still created problems almost on its own, not helped by Gianluigi Donnarumma – with a poor restart and a non-existent exit – nor by the genius of Pedri, with Raphinha arriving, again (62nd), and Andreas Christensen (77th) coming off the bench.

On arrival, we will remember that Paris is in a very bad position before the return match next Tuesday. But we will have had a great time.

The players: Donnarumma guilty, Mbappé frustrated

If you need a great goalkeeper and a great scorer to shine in the premier competition, Paris Saint-Germain did not have them this Wednesday evening. Gianluigi Donnarumma had a very complicated evening, while Kylian Mbappé made no difference.

On the Barça side, Raphinha shone and scored his first two goals in the Champions League. From Pau Cubarsi to Lamine Yamal via the incoming Pedri, the young Catalan nuggets were all decisive.

Mbappé rated 3.5: “We wonder if the management of Luis Enrique has not isolated him”

The X Factor: Damn Amounts

We are playing the 55th minute of play, PSG has just scored twice in three minutes, and Bradley Barcola continues to prove to Luis Enrique that he was right to throw it at half-time. The former Lyonnais has space in front of him, but his powerful shot, lightly touched by Marc-André ter Stegen, catches the bar before going out. A golden opportunity to score the 3-1 goal. Twenty minutes later, it was the post that prevented Ousmane Dembélé from scoring the 3-2 goal (75th), two minutes before the 2-3 goal…

At state: 0

Paris is far from being doomed, this Barça is far from being unplayable. But PSG will have a feat to achieve in the return match in six days. Because never has a French club qualified for the next round after losing its first leg at home in the knockout phase in the history of the Champions League.

The decade: Marquinhos (Canal+)

It was a little too open, we had difficulties. We had good moments in the second half, but the details make the difference, like this goal from a corner (Christensen, 77th). We cannot accept it, with a view to the return match. There is no longer any choice, we will have to seek victory there.

The question: What to remember from this PSG?

It was a funny match, which leaves us with strange feelings. Paris showed almost as many faces as there were goals on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes. That of a team capable of pressing high and depriving its opponent of the ball, but also of offering sterile possession, without ideas.

That of a collective completely overwhelmed by the opposing movements at the heart of the first period, then capable of providing a thunderous response upon returning from the locker room. That of a team close to making the break and making the return match comfortable, but which ultimately opened the door to a reversal of the situation, leaving a serious Barça, talented but not unplayable, to score three times at the Park.

Ousmane Dembélé disappointed against FC Barcelona

Credit: Getty Images

We will not question everything after this first defeat in five months. But the last one, one evening in November against AC Milan, had already taken place in the Champions League. This is PSG’s third loss in C1 this season. Twice he had caught the tide, at Newcastle and Milan. This time, he lost in a different register, never jostled athletically, but never completely clear tactically.

Luis Enrique wants to be unpredictable for his opponents, but hasn’t he also been unpredictable for his men? Marquinhos was a right-back, before switching positions with Lucas Hernandez. Warren Zaire-Emery was on the bench. Marco Asensio wandered into an overloaded midfield before leaving, replaced by Bradley Barcola who embodied a very different game plan. Even the best individuals have been difficult to follow. Ousmane Dembélé shone (and finally scored) as much as he was able to annoy with certain choices. Kylian Mbappé was absent even though he is always omnipresent in these moments. Clearly, this PSG is sometimes unreadable. Like his future in the Champions League.

2024-04-11 05:25:00
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