PARIS – Paris Saint-Germain defeated Barcelona 3-2 at Estadi Olímpic lluís Companys on wednesday, marking PSGS third consecutive victory on Barcelona’s home turf – a first for any team in major European competitions.Despite the win, PSG coach Luis Enrique cautioned against overinterpreting the result, emphasizing Barcelona’s continued strength and potential for future clashes in the Champions League.
The victory comes after previous defeats for Barcelona at home to PSG in the 2021 and 2024 Champions League knockout rounds. Enrique praised the quality of the match, stating, “when you see two teams who don’t kick each other, who go out to play and to do damage with the ball, you get a really good spectacle.” He added, “Barcelona were better until their goal. We recovered well. We were better in the second half.”
PSG’s success was fueled by strong performances from full-backs Achraf Hakimi, who assisted on Sergio Ramos’ winning goal, and Nuno Mendes, who assisted on PSG’s opening goal and effectively contained barcelona’s Lamine Yamal for much of the second half.
Enrique highlighted the advancement of younger players like Yamal, who was making his first start for Barcelona as august following an injury sustained during the September international break. “I’m very pleased to see the younger players thriving in this match; learning, playing well, impressing our fans,” he saeid.
While acknowledging Barcelona’s quality and status as Champions League contenders, Enrique remained measured in his assessment. “This is just one result so in no case [does it prove anything],” he stated. “Barça are among the candidates to win the Champions League…But it’s just getting started.Let’s see how everyone arrives to the knockout rounds.”
