CL:PSG Produce Stunning Comeback To Reach Last-Four
By Sportsgister
Paris Saint-Germain overcame their deficit on the night and in the tie to beat Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate to reach the UEFA Champions League (UCL) semi-final. Their 4-1 success in Catalonia also continued an intriguing trend of the home side on the day not winning any of the last four H2Hs.
This fixture has offered up fascinating matches in recent years and it was clear from the off that this would be no different. Barcelona scored from their first notable attack to extend their lead from the first leg just 12 minutes in, as Lamine Yamal glided past Nuno Mendes and cut back a ball that was touched home by Raphinha. The Brazilian then fizzed in a cross that Mendes couldn’t convincingly clear and Robert Lewandowski fired over the crossbar, before Kylian Mbappé saw two efforts in quick succession instinctively denied.
Les Parisiens were offered hope in the 29th minute, though, as Ronald Araújo was sent off for bringing down Bradley Barcola when he was the last man, with Yamal the player sacrificed so that Iñigo Martínez could bolster the hosts’ backline. Determined to drag his side back into the tie, Barcola then delivered a cross that Ousmane Dembélé sent crashing into the Barça net after having his every touch vehemently booed by his former fans. Undeterred by the reception, Dembélé came agonisingly close to a second on the night moments before the break.
Barça were dealt two more scares shortly after the restart, as Achraf Hakimi’s strike was awkwardly tipped over by Marc-André ter Stegen before Fabián Ruiz fired agonisingly wide. PSG kept coming though, and levelled the tie in the 54th minute when a corner routine culminated in Vitinha finding space and sending a pinpoint strike into the bottom corner.
Barcelona boss Xavi Hernández was then sent off after losing his head on the touchline, and things got even worse for the hosts when João Cancelo lunged in on Dembélé to concede a penalty that Mbappé clinically converted for his 40th goal of the season – sending the visitors into an aggregate lead.
The hosts eventually pushed forward themselves, but Gianluigi Donnarumma made an impressive save from Lewandowski’s strike before Marquinhos rushed in to clear ahead of Ferran Torres. Moments after Raphinha’s corner hit the crossbar, Mbappé struck to ensure that PSG won a UEFA tie after losing the first leg at home for the first time in eight attempts, maintaining hope of the elusive UCL title they crave. They also denied Barcelona their first semi-final in this competition since 2019, with the Blaugrana failing to go through after winning the first leg away in European competition for just the third time in 40 occasions.
Sedara Philip is a Sports writer, an administrator,Journalist,and editor
