Paris Saint-Germain qualified for the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a hard-fought draw in the second leg against FC Barcelona (1-1). A look back at the match!
Ambition, determination, emotion: all of the ingredients were added to the mix to attack the second leg against FC Barcelona, three weeks after the epic victory at the Camp Nou (1-4). Mauricio Pochettino picked an almost identical starting eleven to the one that started the first leg, with just Julian Draxler replacing Moise Kean up-front alongside Mauro Icardi and Kylian Mbappé, and with Marco Verratti behind them dictating the play.
The atmosphere of a great night of European football filled the Parc des Princes at kick-off. And the first minutes of the encounter quickly shaped up as expected: a tactical battle that would put our Parisiens under immense pressure.
They had to show a lot of intelligence and tenacity in order to manage the early periods in which the Catalan club showed their desire to press high up the pitch... And to cause problems. Committed and focused, the Paris Saint-Germain defenders gave their all in order not to succumb to the pressure. They were left holding their breath early on and they had to knuckle down in order to resist the relentless Barcelona attacks, while the post saved Navas after an incredible reflex save (22').
The hosts' capacity to hold on ended up paying off, when a Paris counter saw Mauro Icardi win a penalty after a coming together with Clément Lenglet in the box… Kylian Mbappé made no mistake as he converted from the spot with authority! (1-0, 30').
A first goal of the match which knocked the wind out of the sails for Koeman's side, with an extremely lively Ousmane Dembélé denied on two occasions by an immense Keylor Navas (17', 33').
Unfortunately, the keeper was left helpless when Lionel Messi smashed the ball into the top corner (1-1, 37'), but he was decisive once again five minutes later when he stopped Busquets' effort on goal (43'). And just before the break, the Costa Rican achieved the impossible: stopping a Lionel Messi penalty on his line (45+3'). With 8 saves in the first half, Saint Keylor had kept his side of the bargain...
After the break, Les Rouge et Bleu remained solid across the park, from captain Marquinhos to Kylian Mbappé and Abdou Diallo, who came on off the bench and looked as motivated as ever. With a level of selflessness, the French champions brought all of their strengths to the battle, driven on by Marquinhos and Kimpembe, who threw themselves in front of the ball to close the door on Lionel Messi just metres from the goal (61') or the fantastic Keylor Navas (69').
Les Parisiens showed another side to their game in this second leg, having shined in Barcelona in the first leg. An ability to hold on in the tough times and to weather the storm in order to come out as a bigger team. This evening, Paris did the necessary to qualify and secure their ticket for the quarter finals of the Champions League, knocking out FC Barcelona in the process. Old demons can now be swept away.