FC Barcelona surprised Paris Saint Germain (PSG) in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. In what was a vibrant match until the 90th minute, Xavi Hernández's team won 3-2 in Paris and will arrive at the Camp Nou with one foot in the semifinals. Raphinha scored a double, and Andreas Christensen shaped the final result.
At a crossroads with history, given that both sides can not forget the historic 2017 series and the 6-1 comeback, both teams somehow came out to boost their respective seasons. Without the Copa del Rey, Barça seems to be out of the competition in the Santander League and, therefore, is only competing to win "Ol' Big Ears." On the other hand, Paris Saint Germain is first in Ligue 1 and is in the French Cup final. Their performance is not exciting, and the imminent departure of Kylian Mbappe created an ambiance of finality in the Parc des Princes.
Another Champions League classic 🍿#UCL pic.twitter.com/Vk39ApUjCs
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 10, 2024
Although Real Madrid-Manchester City and Arsenal-Bayern Munich had set the bar very high for the second day of the quarterfinals, Wednesday's matches were no less and left us another day of good soccer. On average, the first legs of the Champions League averaged more than four goals per game.
Raphinha and Christensen made Mbappe bitter in Paris
The match started very even, showing mutual respect, but with a PSG that sought more the rival network as a result of the drive of its people. However, Barcelona struck first thanks to Brazilian Raphinha, who took advantage of a mistake by goalkeeper Donnarumma and opened the scoring 37 minutes into the first half.
The Spanish team led 0-1 at the break, but the second half started uphill for Xavi's team. In a two-minute burst, Ousmane Dembélé and the Portuguese Vitinha turned the game in favor of the Parisians.
El GOLAZO de Dembélé para el PSG que en menos de dos minutos se lo dio vuelta al FC Barcelona.pic.twitter.com/7DlCZ1PHh6
— Pablo Giralt (@giraltpablo) April 10, 2024
With PSG close to a third goal, Pedri's entry changed the game in Barcelona's favor. The young midfielder did not take long to provide a spectacular assist for Raphinha's goal, who scored his double after 60 minutes of the second half.
In the end, just three minutes after Dembélé's shot hit the post, Christensen, who had entered just a few seconds ago, headed into the Donnarumma six-yard box and sealed the final 2-3, leaving his team with one foot in the semifinals.
The second leg of the competition is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16. The winner of this match will face the winner of the game between Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
Xavi mandó a la cancha a Christensen al minuto 75. El danés respondió a los 2 minutos con un gol. Barcelona 🇪🇸, otra vez en ventaja ante PSG 🇫🇷. Partidazo. pic.twitter.com/tcOgoZYJ6N
— VarskySports (@VarskySports) April 10, 2024
