Paris Saint-Germain booked their spot in the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday evening with a remarkable 4-1 victory over ten-man Barcelona.
Barcelona had a 3-2 aggregate lead from the first leg of the quarter-final and they quickly added to their advantage through Raphinha’s close-range effort.
But Ronald Araujo was sent off for denying Bradley Barcola a clear goalscoring chance just before the half-hour mark, with Ousmane Dembele later netting an equaliser for PSG before the break.
Vitinha brought PSG back level on aggregate with an excellent long-range strike after the break and Kylian Mbappe then bagged a brace to send PSG into the final four of the Champions League.
How the game unfolded
PSG made the nightmare start in Catalonia. Barcelona took just 13 minutes to extend their aggregate lead and it was Raphinha, who bagged a brace at the Parc des Princes, bundling home Lamine Yamal’s near-post cross to put the hosts ahead on the night.
The visitors slowly wrestled control of the game after some extended pressure from the hosts, with Mbappe forcing a fine save out of Marc-Andre ter Stegen after 25 minutes. Barcola found his compatriot in the penalty area but Mbappe couldn’t find a leveller with his near-post drive.
Just four minutes later the tie was turned on its head. Barcola sprinted clear of the Barcelona defence after a fortuitous ricochet and was brought down just outside the box by Araujo, with the Uruguayan centre-back shown a straight red card for his last-man challenge.
A player up, it didn’t take long for PSG to reduce the deficit, with Dembele producing a vital equaliser against his former club five minutes before the break. Barcola was at the heart of things once again and swept a ball across the face of goal, with his fellow winger thrashing a powerful right-footed effort beyond Ter Stegen to level proceedings.
Dembele almost grabbed his second of the evening just moments before half-time, rolling a volley inches wide of Ter Stegen’s far post from a tight angle. Despite a perfect start, Barcelona were now very much living life on the edge.
Unsurprisingly given their man advantage, PSG were the dominant attacking force after the restart, and they managed to grab their second of the game just ten minutes after the break. Vitinha, who netted in the first leg as well, struck a venomous shot low into the bottom corner from 20 yards, with Ilkay Gundogan striking the post just a minute later at the other end.
Barcelona had capitulated after Araujo’s red card and their misery was compounded before the hour mark when Joao Cancelo’s late lunge on Dembele handed PSG a penalty. As expected, Mbappe converted his spot kick with little fuss to complete a remarkable turnaround for the visitors.
Barca hunted for a goal against the odds and almost grabbed it via Lewandowski, who stung Gianluigi Donnarumma’s palms with a strong effort from just outside the area. Raphinha looked as if he may grab his second five minutes later, but his wayward shot couldn’t test Donnarumma from close range.
PSG eventually put the tie to bed just a minute from time when Mbappe grabbed his second of the game after a swift break from the visitors. The Frenchman saw his initial effort stopped by Ter Stegen, but Jules Kounde’s poor clearance gave him the chance to end it once and for all.
Barcelona player ratings (4-3-3)
Araujo saw red for his challenge in the first half / FRANCK FIFE/GettyImages
GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen – 6/10 – Helpless with all of PSG’s strikes and still managed to make some good saves under enormous pressure.
RB: Jules Kounde – 5/10 – Struggled up against his fellow Frenchman Barcola at times and his poor clearance handed Mbappe his second of the match.
CB: Ronald Araujo – 2/10 – Had made a bright start to the game with some good interventions, but saw red moments before the break for a last-man challenge on Barcola.
CB: Pau Cubarsi – 5/10 – Didn’t do too much wrong in the heart of the Barca defence and tried his best in difficult circumstances.
LB: Joao Cancelo – 4/10 – A quite ludicrous tackle offered PSG the chance to grab a third from the spot. He let his teammates down with a characteristically rash decision.
CM: Frenkie de Jong – 5/10 – Pretty anonymous throughout and he shrank further as PSG put Barca to the sword.
CM: Ilkay Gundogan – 6/10 – Offered Barca some threat on the break, even after the red card, and was the brightest spark in midfield.
CM: Pedri – 5/10 – Unable to influence proceedings and was hooked after the hour mark as Barca searched for a goal.
RW: Lamine Yamal – 7/10 – Set up Barca’s opener with a neat turn of pace to beat Nuno Mendes and was sacrificed through no fault of his own in the 34th minute after Araujo’s dismissal.
ST: Robert Lewandowski – 6/10 – Started the game with some neat hold-up play but was unable to offer an out ball after the red card. Still fired a few efforts at the PSG goal despite a lack of service.
LW: Raphinha – 6/10 – Didn’t know too much about his early strike but used his pace to put himself in the perfect position inside the six-yard box. His influence, rather understandably, waned.
Substitutes
SUB: Inigo Martinez (34′ for Yamal) – 5/10 – Not a particularly notable display from the Spaniard, who was thrown into a difficult environment.
SUB: Ferran Torres (62′ for Pedri) – 6/10
SUB: Joao Felix (82′ for Cancelo) – N/A
SUB: Fermin Lopez (82′ for De Jong) – N/A
Subs not used: Inaki Pena (GK), Ander Astralaga (GK), Marcos Alonso, Hector Fort, Marc Casado,Oriol Romeu, Marc Guiu, Vitor Roque.
Manager
Xavi – 3/10 – Sent off for kicking out and his lack of composure on the sidelines summed up his side’s performance. They imploded after the red card, continually shooting themselves in the foot at key moments.