Barcelona’s clash against PSG in Paris lived up to expectations on Tuesday night as both teams pulled out all the stops to win the battle between the two best teams in Europe.
Even though there wasn’t much on the line, both teams pressed relentlessly to control the game until the middle. PSG won the midfield battle and dominated the first half, even taking the lead at halftime thanks to a goal scored by Désiré Doué.
Barcelona came back after the break with renewed energy and pressed for an equalizer, eventually getting one through Xavi Espart. However, just when it looked like the Catalans were taking over, PSG scored from a free kick to regain the lead.
Lamine Yamal helped Barcelona get back level with a calm, stunning solo finish, but Vitinha scored seconds later to put the hosts ahead again.
Barca Universal presents the player ratings of PSG 4-2 Barcelona.
Joan Garcia: 9.5
The goalkeeper was excellent for Barcelona under the highest pressure and made massive saves in the first half to keep the team in the game.
He was helpless in the face of Désiré Doué’s brilliance on the opening goal, but played a vital role in ensuring the first half did not end with a more embarrassing margin. He also continued to make massive saves after the break.
João Cancelo: 7
Cancelo was booked early in the match and spent the rest of the night trying to keep up with Doue and Hakimi with the utmost caution. He didn’t get into attacking spaces as much as he would have liked and was reckless in some of his decisions.
Gérard Martin: 6.5
Martin’s return to the starting XI was huge news for Barcelona, and the defender performed quite well against PSG’s relentless attacks. He was in the right place and did not make rash decisions, but often let himself be overtaken by the genius of the PSG wingers.
Paul Cubarsi: 7.5
Cubarsi appeared to be injured early in the match, but continued to play and was an integral part of Barcelona’s defense. Facing a French team that didn’t seem to let up, Cubarsi’s positioning and leadership in defense were massive.
Additionally, the player was also a threat from set pieces and performed well under pressure from PSG’s front line to bring the ball out.
Xavi Espart: 9
Facing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Espart was ready for his biggest challenge yet, and he did quite well. The youngster kept the Georgian star largely under control and limited him to shots from distance. His defensive coverage, in fact, was superior to Cancelo’s on the left.
Scored a brilliant goal to help the team equalize and finished the night as one of Barcelona’s best players.
Marc Bernal: 6.5
Bernal was the unexpected member of Barcelona’s XI as Flick started Rodri on the bench, and the youngster was under immense pressure that evening.
While he played well in possession, he was often overwhelmed by PSG’s midfield press and sometimes ended up losing the ball in risky areas. He was not a weak link, but a player clearly new to the pressure the game entailed.
Pedri: 8.5
The Canarian started slowly, with a five-minute period he would like to forget. After that, however, he was at his imperial best in possession and simply immovable on the ball.
On a night where Barcelona’s stars struggled to maintain possession, he was the only player to keep the team together and ensure they retained at least some possession. Without Rodri, however, he was forced to play much deeper.
Dani Olmo: 7
Olmo started the match well and even had a big chance to score from distance. However, just as he was entering the match, he suffered an injury and was forced out and will likely be out for the medium term.
Anthony Gordon: 6
Gordon had a mixed evening against PSG. He was, by far, one of the Barcelona players who lost possession the most and seemed out of sync with the build-up in closed areas.
However, he was the only fresh link in the counter-attack who made counter-attacks possible and even found himself in good goal-scoring positions. His hesitation to shoot, however, cost the team two golden chances in the first half. Marked his man very poorly for PSG’s second goal.
Raphinha: 7
Back in the starting lineup, Raphinha was constantly looking to get into the right attacking areas and even did so on occasion. He looked lively on the ball and nearly scored twice in the first half.
His energy in the press, however, seemed for the first time matched by that of his opponents, and even the powerful Raphinha sometimes struggled to keep up with PSG.
Lamin Yamal: 7
Yamal’s first half against PSG was a horror show, as the youngster did not have the ball regularly and did not create any scoring chances in 45 minutes. On the other hand, many of his touches were misinterpreted and went straight into PSG’s possession.
Even Doue’s first game, in fact, came on a chance that presented itself to PSG due to an errant pass from Yamal, and he looked completely off-color in every aspect of the game. Came to life in the 78th minute with a superb solo goal to bring the team level.
Fermin Lopez: 7
The youngster replaced Olmo midway through the first half and had the team’s biggest chance of the half to score. However, he went for a soft finish, which was completely unlike him, and also almost got sent off for an unintentional challenge.
Gn sports
