Vitinha's superb late goal proved decisive as reigning
champions Paris Saint-Germain beat rivals Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes
on Tuesday, in a dramatic clash between two of the leading contenders for this
season's Champions League.
With the game level at 2-2, the Portuguese playmaker,
who finished third in last year's Ballon d'Or ranking, controlled the ball on
his chest and fired in from just outside the box in the 81st minute. Fabian
Ruiz then sealed PSG's third win in as many matches in this season's
competition, as they chase a third straight Champions League title.
Barcelona had briefly looked set to take a point when
Lamine Yamal, who is hoping to win this year's Ballon d'Or, stabbed in their
second equaliser. Desire Doue had earlier opened the scoring for PSG, and Lucas
Hernandez added their second after teenager Xavi Espart found the net for the
Catalans.
The defeat is a setback for Barcelona, though unlikely
to seriously hurt their hopes of progressing. They arrived in France on a run
of 11 straight wins in all competitions at the start of the season. That run is
over, but the goals keep flowing, and Yamal's strike was Barcelona's 50th of
the season. PSG have now won seven games in a row across Ligue 1 and the
Champions League, but they lost Ousmane Dembele, last year's Ballon d'Or
winner, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to injury on the night. It is unclear how serious
the injuries are. Doue was the real star of the show, and Luis Enrique's side
look well set to reach the knockout phase comfortably.
This was the 14th meeting between the sides in the
Champions League in 13 years. For Barcelona, it was probably not the biggest
game of their week, since beating Real Madrid at home on Sunday would put them
nine points clear of their great rivals in La Liga. That helps explain why
Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, started on the bench, although Raphinha
returned to the starting line-up after a recent spell out.
PSG, fresh from a 4-2 win at Manchester City last
week, almost scored inside 90 seconds when Kvaratskhelia hit the post. But they
suffered a blow when Dembele came off after 20 minutes with a hamstring injury.
Ferran Torres replaced him, facing the club he left in the summer, and
Barcelona also lost Dani Olmo to injury during the stoppage.
Paris took the lead in the 38th minute after Yamal
gave away possession in his own half. The ball came to Doue, who showed superb
footwork before firing low into the bottom corner from just outside the area.
Barcelona levelled soon after half-time when Fermin
Lopez released Espart, who drove into the box and scored his second senior
goal. Rodri came on soon after, and the game became increasingly open. Torres
hit the post for PSG before Hernandez headed the hosts back in front from a
corner. He had been called up to mark Yamal in the absence of usual left-back
Nuno Mendes, and the goal was just his third for PSG in over 100 appearances
and his first since February 2024.
Hernandez was substituted moments later, and his
replacement, Warren Zaire-Emery, was at fault for Barcelona's second equaliser.
He got caught underneath a high ball, allowing Yamal to run clear and score his
10th goal of the campaign.
PSG had the last laugh, though, reminding everyone
that they remain the team to beat in Europe this season. Vitinha made it 3-2,
and Ruiz finished from close range to seal the win.
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