PSG Stun Barcelona 4-2 in Five-Minute Champions League Blitz
The hosts, coached by Luis Enrique, controlled the early exchanges. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the post in the second minute, and Barcelona goalkeeper Joan Garcia then kept out efforts from Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue.
PSG lost Dembele to an apparent hamstring injury in the 20th minute. Ferran Torres, a former Barcelona forward, came on in his place. Paris kept up the pressure, but Garcia continued to hold firm, making a double save to deny Torres and Fabian Ruiz in the 29th minute.
Doue broke the stalemate in the 38th minute. Joao Neves won the ball off Yamal in midfield and it ran to Doue, who cut inside from the edge of the box and drove a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner.
Barcelona almost answered at once, but Matvei Safonov stopped Fermin Lopez after a through ball from Pedri, and Willian Pacho cleared the rebound.
PSG went into the interval 1-0 up and kept creating chances after the restart. Garcia stopped Achraf Hakimi one-on-one in the 52nd minute.
Barcelona drew level three minutes later. Xavi Espart played a one-two with Lopez, ran into the area and beat Safonov with a low shot.
Lucas Hernandez restored Paris’s lead in the 72nd minute, rising to meet a Doue corner and heading into the top-right corner. Torres had hit the post moments earlier.
Yamal equalized in the 79th minute. The Spanish teenager pounced on a poor headed clearance by Warren Zaire-Emery, who had come on only a minute before, then drove into the box from the right and finished from a tight angle to make it 2-2.
Paris needed just two minutes to hit back. Vitinha took down a loose ball on his chest outside the area and sent a right-footed half-volley into the bottom-right corner.
Ruiz sealed the win in the 86th minute, converting a low Hakimi cross at the far post.
The result keeps PSG perfect in this season’s Champions League, with three wins from three. Barcelona suffered their first defeat in any competition this season.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
