PARIS (ITALPRESS) – Barcelona won 3-2 at Paris Saint Germain, at the end of a spectacular match played at an infernal pace. In the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, at the Parc des Princes, the Blaugrana prevailed thanks to Raphinha’s brace and Christensen’s goal; on the other hand, at PSG, the Dembelè and Vitinha goals at the start of the second half were not enough. The start of the match was balanced and both teams took turns dominating the dribble. From the first minutes there was no shortage of scoring opportunities and PSG’s start was positive. As the minutes passed, however, the Spaniards also improved, coming close to scoring in the 22nd minute, when Mendes saved Lewandowski’s header off the line. The guests, by dint of trying, found the advantage in the 37th minute, thanks to Raphinha’s goal: after a low exit from Donnarumma, the Brazilian picked up the ball and scored the 1-0 into an empty net. The interval seems to be a godsend for PSG, decidedly not very lucid after the disadvantage. In the second half, in fact, the Parisians’ reaction was furious and in five minutes the hosts overturned the Blaugrana. After just three minutes Dembelè equalized with a powerful left-footed shot under the crossbar; two minutes later Vitinha, served splendidly by Fabian Ruiz, scores the 2-1. Xavi runs for cover, picking Joao Felix and Pedri off the bench: the latter, in the 62nd minute, provides the assist for the 2-2 with the first ball he touches, again scored by Raphinha. During a match full of overtaking and counter-overtaking, Barcelona took the lead again in the 77th minute, once again with a substitute from the bench: following a corner from Gundogan, this time it was Christensen’s turn to score with a header, taking advantage of the French defense’s sleep. Barcelona holds on at the end and takes home a heavy away victory, the result of Xavi’s enlightening changes. The return leg is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
– photo by Ipa Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
