Barcelona Fought Back Twice in Paris, and Then the Last 10 Minutes Happened

PSG beat Barcelona 4-2 in the Champions League in Paris. Barça came back twice to level the match, but PSG scored twice in five minutes late on to win a wild game.

PSG Take the Lead

The first half was tight, with Barcelona picking up an early yellow card in the 17th minute. PSG got the breakthrough in the 38th minute and led 1-0 at the break. Barcelona came out strongly after halftime and equalized in the 55th minute to make it 1-1.

Waves of Goals

PSG regained the lead in the 72nd minute to make it 2-1, and Barcelona, who made a flurry of substitutions around the hour mark, found another response. They equalized again in the 79th minute to make it 2-2, and for a moment it looked like they might even push on for a win.

Instead PSG struck right back. They scored in the 81st minute to go 3-2 up, only two minutes after Barça had drawn level, and added a fourth in the 86th minute to put the result beyond doubt.

Key Stats

Barcelona had slightly more of the ball, with 54% possession to PSG’s 46%, and both sides took 20 shots. The difference was in how many of them tested the keepers: PSG put 14 on target, against nine for Barcelona. Joan García made 10 saves for Barça to keep the score down, while PSG’s keeper made seven. PSG also had a clean disciplinary record, without a yellow card, while Barcelona picked up one.

Star Names on Show

PSG’s lineup featured Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Désiré Doué, Vitinha, João Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos, with Matvey Safonov in goal. Barcelona fielded Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Dani Olmo, Anthony Gordon, Pedri and João Cancelo, with Joan García between the posts.

What It Means

This is Barcelona’s first Champions League defeat of the season, after wins over Feyenoord (5-1) and Galatasaray (4-1). They showed real fight to come back twice, but they were let down by defending in the final 10 minutes. It also leaves them with a huge week ahead, with the Clásico away at Barcelona’s home ground against Real Madrid on Sunday, and a home match against Aston Villa after that. For PSG, it is a statement win and another emphatic result at home.