Paris St Germain buried the ghosts of their embarrassing 2017 exit as they drew 1-1 at residence with Barcelona on Wednesday (March 10) to finish a 5-2 mixture victory that despatched them into the Champions League quarter-finals.
Four years after Barca claimed a memorable 6-1 win to overturn a 4-0 first-leg deficit within the last 16, PSG lacked inspiration however their 4-1 benefit from the primary sport in Spain was enough this time. Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat-trick on the Nou Camp, opened the scoring with a penalty towards the run of play earlier than Lionel Messi levelled with an outstanding long-range aim, however the Argentine had a spot-kick saved by Keylor Navas on the stroke of halftime.
The French champions had been on the again foot within the second half as Barca piled on the strain however Barca exited the competitors earlier than the semi-finals for the second yr in a row. Barca’s exit ensured it is going to be the primary time since 2005 that neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo can be within the Champions League quarter-finals after Juventus had been additionally knocked out within the last 16, on Tuesday.
“We suffered a lot in the first half, and psychologically it was a test for us. I gathered that the past was something that was talked about a lot here,” PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino mentioned.
“We were better in the second half, we were more competitive.”
Barca coach Ronald Koeman tried to stay upbeat. “We are departing this Champions League in a very different manner from the way we did last season. In this game, we hit our level and that`s the road we have to follow,” mentioned Koeman, referring to the group’s 8-2 mixture defeat within the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich last yr.
PSG, with out injured ahead Neymar, seemed nothing just like the group who reached last yr’s last or hammered Barcelona three weeks in the past, however they did hold their composure on the again. Barcelona stamped their authority early on, discovering area for Ousmane Dembele, however the Frenchman was twice denied by Navas and he skied an effort over the crossbar within the opening 20 minutes.
Sergino Dest went shut for Barca with a strong angled shot that Navas deflected on to his left-hand submit and Dembele broke down the left flank however his cross simply evaded a sliding Messi. It was PSG, nevertheless, who went forward on 31 minutes as Mbappe transformed a penalty awarded following a VAR evaluation after Clement Lenglet appeared to step onto Mauro Icardi`s heel.
Six minutes later, Messi unleashed a 25-metre missile that flew into the highest nook to equalise in fashion along with his one hundred and twentieth aim within the Champions League. The Argentine had an opportunity to place the guests in entrance simply earlier than the break when Barca gained a penalty following a Layvin Kurzawa foul on Antoine Griezmann, however Navas deflected the Argentine’s spot-kick onto the bar and away.
Barca had been nonetheless throughout PSG within the second half and it took a determined sort out by Marquinhos to stop Messi scoring from level clean vary earlier than Navas cleared a Sergio Busquets header. Barcelona regularly ran out of steam, nevertheless, and should now flip to their bid to win the La Liga title, the place they path leaders Atletico Madrid by six factors.
