In the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on the morning of April 11, Barca had a 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
Raphinha’s double (right) gives Barcelona a big advantage – Photo: REUTERS
Even though they had to be guests on the opponent’s field, Barca still entered the game with confidence. Most of the best chances of the first half belonged to them, such as Lewandowski’s header in the 21st minute that put the ball past goalkeeper Donnarumma. PSG was lucky when Nuno Mendes was able to clear the ball before the goal line.
While the away team applied constant pressure, PSG’s attack was almost harmless. The brightest star Kylian Mbappe cannot bring remarkable situations.
And then the goal also came for Barcelona in the 37th minute. From the ball on the right wing, Lamine Yamal threw an uncomfortable flick on the outside of his cheek, causing goalkeeper Donnarumma to rush out to clear the ball poorly. Thanks to that, Raphinha has space to put the ball into the open goal.
Only after the break between the two halves did PSG start to play better. Right in the 48th minute, former Barca player Ousmane Dembele scored the 1-1 equalizer after a technical turn and then left the ball.
Just 2 minutes later, PSG increased the score to 2-1 thanks to Vitinha’s escape and neat cross-angle finish. At this time, it seemed that the French team would continue to flourish and win. However, their defense continued to play like it was sleeping and that led to mistakes.
Mbappe’s disappointment when PSG lost at home – Photo: REUTERS
In the 62nd minute, they gave Raphinha a huge space to run after Pedri’s long pass. The Brazilian striker even had enough space to make a decisive one-touch finish to equalize 2-2 for Barca.
The two teams struggled and coach Xavi’s team was the team that showed better bravery. In the 77th minute, Andreas Christensen increased the score to 3-2 for Barca with a header after Gundogan’s corner. PSG tried to attack in the final minutes but could not find an equalizer and accepted defeat.
This comeback brings a great advantage to Barca when in the second leg, they will be playing at Nou Camp’s home field.
