Replacement Frenkie de Jong gives FC Barcelona the win in thriller against PSG

FC Barcelona won 2-3 against Paris Saint-Germain in an exciting match in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday evening. Raphinha accounted for the entire production of the Catalan superpower and Frenkie de Jong returned to the starting line-up after more than a month of absence. His replacement Andreas Christensen became the match winner. The return match in the Olympic Stadium Lluís Companys is on Tuesday, April 16.

On target for PSG was Gianluigi Donnarumma, who, like Kylian Mbappé, was rested in the league match against Clermont Foot (1-1). Marquinhos, Lucas Hernández, Lucas Beraldo and Nuno Mendes were lined up in front of him. The midfield consisted of Lee Kang-in, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz. Mbappé played as a left winger and stood next to striker Marco Asensio. Ousmane Dembélé occupied the right winger position.

Marc-André ter Stegen defended the Catalan goal as usual. There was a four-man defense in front of the German goalkeeper. Jules Koundé served as right back, while João Cancelo covered the left flank. The heart of the defense was formed by Ronald Araújo and Pau Cubarsí. In the center of midfield was Ilkay Gündogan, who was accompanied on the right by captain Sergi Roberto. De Jong returned to the starting line-up after more than five weeks of absence and played on the left in midfield.

In Barcelona's forward line, Xavi made no changes compared to the won LaLiga match against Las Palmas (1-0) on March 30. Goalscorer Raphinha once again occupied the left winger position; on the other side was top talent Lamine Yamal. The experienced Robert Lewandowski was the striker on duty.

Barcelona was unable to make any offensive impact in the first twenty minutes in Paris. Still, the visitors almost took the lead, were it not for Mendes' acrobatically clearing Lewandowski's header off the line. Raphinha got better and better in the match on the left and his guard Marquinhos had an increasingly difficult time against the Brazilian.

It was also Raphinha who opened the scoring after 37 minutes of play. Yamal passed the ball from the right with an outside shot to the right towards Lewandowski, who, however, found the outcoming Donnarumma in his way. The save turned out not to be enough, as the ball ended up with Raphinha, who was able to score from inside the box on behalf of Barcelona and score for the first time in the Champions League. There seemed to be some miscommunication between PSG's defense and Donnarumma during Yamal's cross.

A setback for PSG, who came out of the dressing room feeling reborn after the break. Dembélé, with a history with the Catalans, rammed the 1-1 against the ropes shortly after the break after he had cut out De Jong. Just two minutes later, Vitinha even gave PSG a 2-1 lead after a clever pass from Ruiz. The joy was enormous among the goalscorer and the fans in the Parc des Princes.

PSG smelled blood and the 3-1 was in the air in Paris. Xavi saw Barcelona struggling and intervened after an hour of play. Sergi Roberto, who is suspended for the return due to a yellow card, and Yamal were relieved by João Félix and Pedri. It turned out to be a golden opportunity for Xavi. Shortly after his entrance, Pedri spooned the ball over the PSG defense and it was Raphinha who took the ball on his shoe in one go and found the far corner: 2-2.

In the final phase, both superpowers went all out for the win. Substitute Bradley Barcola looked set to score, but was thwarted by Araújo at the last minute. Dembélé was then unlucky when his shot hit the post. Shortly afterwards, Xavi changed twice again. The accurate Raphinha made way for Ferran Torres, while Christensen relieved the battle-weary De Jong for the visitors.

It turned out to be another very good move by Xavi. Christensen headed 2-3 against the ropes two minutes after his entrance, uncovered and from a corner kick. A great comeback by Barcelona, ​​which overcame the minimal lead and starts the return match against PSG next Tuesday with the best credentials. Match winner Christensen received a yellow card in the final phase, which means he is suspended for the meeting in Barcelona.














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