Barcelona vs PSG: Raphinha’s Brace Seals Thrilling 3-2 Win; Atletico Triumph 2-1 Over Dortmund
Barcelona emerged victorious against PSG with Raphinha’s stellar performance leading the way In an exhilarating Champions League quarterfinal showdown.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid secured a crucial 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their quarterfinal encounter.
The best player for Barcelona that evening was Raphinha, a forward from Brazil who had already scored twice before Christensen’s goal in the 77th minute.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez made some smart alterations with his club losing 2-1 and Paris Saint-Germain pressing hard for an additional goal.
At Parc des Princes stadium, midfielder Pedri took just one minute to set up Raphinha’s equalizer. Then, two minutes after coming in, Barcelona won 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal thanks to a goal from central defender Andreas Christensen, who scored from a corner.
“Pedri joined us and was a big help. I’m thrilled with the group. Xavi added, “Christensen came on and assisted as well. “We performed really well tactically.”
The best player for Barcelona that evening was Raphinha, a forward from Brazil who had already scored twice before Christensen’s goal in the 77th minute.
Gündoğan’s left corner was headed beyond Gianluigi Donnarumma by the towering Christensen from close range, but the PSG goalkeeper remained rooted to his line rather than going after the ball.
Luis Enrique, the coach of PSG, seemed stunned after that goal.
We somewhat complicated matters for ourselves. We were able to make things right in the second half and had a chance to score a third goal, according to Enrique. “We still have everything available to us, and we intend to go there with ambition.”
While Kylian Mbappe has scored a club record 251 goals for PSG, his underwhelming effort this time around was contrasted with Raphinha’s vibrant performance and finishing. Mbappe also failed to make many of his signature explosive runs from deep.
Against his previous team, Ousmane Dembele equalized in the 48th minute after Raphinha had opened the score in the 37th. After a tight match in which Dembele struck the left post just before Christensen’s goal, Vitinha, a midfielder for PSG, gave them the lead three minutes later after receiving a pass from Fabian Ruiz.
After Donnarumma mishandled Lamine Yamal’s deft cross from the right wing, the 16-year-old Spanish winger expertly flicked it with the outside of his left foot to give Barcelona the lead. Raphinha then curled the ball ahead.
Careless defense on both sides ensued.
After Ronald Araujo hacked clear of Mbappe’s left-wing cross, Dembele was able to cut inside Frenkie de Jong and slam the ball past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Fabian Ruiz’s pass gave Vitinha too much space, allowing him to slide a shot under his body.
After reading substitute Pedri’s expertly timed long cross, Raphinha scored with a volley past Donnarumma to make it 2-2 just before Christensen’s goal in the 62nd. Defying the jeers of the PSG crowd, Raphinha turned and stood motionless, his arms crossed.
Shortly after the last whistle, a fan ran onto the pitch, but stewards immediately stopped him.
Next Tuesday is the return leg in Spain.
On Wednesday, Atletico Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home in the other quarterfinal.
Barcelona is once again in the lead in the rivalry between PSG and Barcelona, which has grown in intensity in recent years.
Although PSG eliminated Barcelona in the round of 16, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals in both 2013 and 2015. Then, after trailing 4-0, Enrique’s Barcelona crushed PSG 6-1 in the second leg of their last-16 match in March 2017 to create Champions League history. PSG has to get better, not stage such a huge comeback.
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They attempted to breach our lines in an attempt to locate striker Robert Lewandowski as we pressed extremely high up the field. We had issues as a result of their excellent work, according to PSG captain Marquinhos. It is accurate to say that the little things have a big impact. giving up a goal from a corner and letting the ball into the net from behind us. We are unable to afford to do it next week.
Given the increased security and potential terror danger from the Islamic State, Mbappe could need to do even better than he did on Wednesday. This week’s Champions League matches are being played in spite of this concern. There were armed police officers positioned all around the stadium, but nothing happened.
Due to Achraf Hakimi’s suspension, Enrique had to make a substitution, starting Marquinhos at right back. Warren Zaire-Emery, a midfielder, was unexpectedly benched.
Prior to the visitors taking over, PSG got off to a strong start.
Nuno Gomes blocked Lewandowski’s header from Gundogan’s cross off the line, and then Raphinha’s low effort forced a stop from Donnarumma. When Lamina’s cross was fisted across the heart of the penalty area, Donnarumma was at fault for the first goal. Raphinha’s first attempt left him stranded.
Atletico Beat Dortmund 2-1
After defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Atletico Madrid took a step closer to making it back to the Champions League semifinals.
With goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino in the first half, Atletico dominated Dortmund for the majority of the game. However, a late goal from substitute Sebastien Haller kept the German team in the game.
In the dying minutes, Dortmund twice struck the woodwork in a threat.
Germany will host the second leg on Tuesday of next week.
“We’re going to be prepared, and our goal is to advance Atletico back to the Champions League semifinals,” stated De Paul. “We know it’s going to be complicated, but we will give it everything we have to make sure that happens.”
