PSG played their first leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday at home against FC Barcelona. And it was Barça who got the better of the Parisians (3-2) at the end of a spectacular match.
Published on: 04/10/2024 – 10:53 p.m.
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PSG returned to action in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, Wednesday April 10, against FC Barcelona. And for this reunion between the two clubs, it was Barça who won at the Parc des Princes (3-2).
At the start of the match, the Parisians are playing in 4-3-1-2 against the Barcelona players positioned in 4-3-3. The Parisians have possession of the ball at the start of the match and the Barcelona residents do not leave their half of the field. Dembélé is restless and multiplies the excesses on his right side (4th, 9th) while Lee (7th) and Asensio (11th) frame the first strikes of the match – easily captured by Ter Stegen.
The blaugrana, in yellow outfits on Wednesday evening, suffered this start to the match but were well in place with their low block. Their offensive projections are rare, but they are the most dangerous. When Ter Stegen clears the ball from his area, Raphinha is found and launched alone deep. But Donnarumma quickly comes out of his cage to narrowly tackle the ball outside his area in front of the Barcelona striker (6th).
This is a first alert for PSG. A quarter of an hour later, it was Lewandowski’s turn to score a thrill on a corner for Barça: his header lobbed Donnarumma but Mendes cleared the ball on his goal line (20th). It was just a matter of time for FC Barcelona to open the scoring. In the process, Raphinha is found alone in the axis: he fires a cross shot which forces Donnarumma to relax to deflect the ball for a corner (23rd).
The Parisians tried to create danger, but Lee’s shot (found by Mbappé in the Barcelona area) was repelled with his fists by Ter Stegen (28th). But PSG seems feverish in defense, whether with Beraldo’s late interventions or with the Marquinhos-Hernandez disagreement (33rd) at the origin of an avoidable corner for FC Barcelona. This excitement ends up paying off: Lewandowski ideally shifts Yamal, whose center ends up finding Raphinha despite a slight deviation from Donnarumma. The Barcelona winger hits the mark with a right shot sent into the opposite corner above Beraldo (1-0, 37th).
FC Barcelona closes this first act with a new projection from Raphinha who ends up finding Yamal, but the latter’s curling shot flees the target (45th + 1). Yet another demonstration of the feverishness of the Parisian defense this evening.
PSG and Barça in turn stunning
Upon returning from the locker room, PSG displays a completely different face in front of its audience. Vitinha lights a first fuse which escapes the Barcelona frame (47th), but it is only a delay for the Parisians. The players of the capital club turned the match around in two minutes: Dembélé first sent an unstoppable missile under the crossbar of Ter Stegen (1-1, 48th), then Vitinha concluded a beautiful movement with Lee and Ruiz with a cross strike at ground level (2-1, 50th). PSG turned the match around in two minutes.
And the Parisians do not seem to want to stop there: the new arrival Barcola is launched deep on the right side before arming a shot narrowly deflected by Ter Stegen on his crossbar (55th). FC Barcelona seems ready to break with each action at the start of the second act, and yet it is the Catalans who will return to the scoreboard: just entered, Pedri sends a perfect lofted pass to Raphinha who scores a double ‘a recovery with the left foot (2-2, 62nd).
Both teams are now completely unrestrained and going blow for blow. Raphinha hits a free kick captured twice by Donnarumma (70th). In the process, Barcola appears alone against Ter Stegen but he is slow to strike, which allows Araujo to narrowly recover the ball on a sliding tackle (71st). When Joao Felix tries a curling shot on which Donnarumma lays down well (74th), Vitinha throws Dembélé in depth… but the French winger’s shot crashes into Ter Stegen’s post (75th).
The match could swing at any time to one side or the other… And the game finally swings in favor of Barça: on a corner from Gündogan, Christensen – who had just entered the game – victoriously headed the ball back in front of Donnarumma (3-2, 77th). In the final minutes, PSG tried to come back but lacked precision in their attempts. And when the Parisians create the gap, Barça knows how to stop the game even if it means being punished with yellow cards – like Cubarsi (82nd) or Christensen (88th). Mbappé tries a well-worked shot, but it is finally deflected for a corner (90th+2). Barça advantage after this first match.
