Barcelona 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain (Agg: 4-6): Kylian Mbappe stars as Ligue 1 side win Champions League epic

Luis Enrique came back to face Barcelona with his current team, Paris Saint-Germain and they succeeded in eliminating his former team in the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe played a huge role in their 4-1 victory in the second leg, allowing them to win 6-4 in total.

After being down 3-2 in the first round and trailing 1-0 on Tuesday evening, they managed to make a comeback and secure a spot in the semi-finals. Their next opponent is Borussia Dortmund and if they win, they'll earn a spot in the final at Wembley.

Barcelona increased their advantage during the match as soon as Raphinha scored after receiving a cross from Lamine Yamal (12). However, the course of the game shifted when the referee Istvan Kovacs made the call to dismiss Ronald Araujo for a professional foul (29) against Bradley Barcola.

PSG showed no mercy in using the fact that they had more players to their advantage, and managed to even out the game with a goal from Ousmane Dembele just before the first half ended.

Enrique's team kept up the momentum after the restart, with Vintinha scoring a great goal to tie the match (54). However, a reckless move from Joao Cancelo in the penalty area led to Mbappe putting the French team ahead on total score (61).

Towards the end of the game, Barcelona had many players moving towards the opposition's half. Mbappe then increased PSG's lead by taking advantage of a mistake made by Jules Kounde, who failed to clear the ball adequately. This happened after Marc-Andre ter Stegen saved Mbappe's first attempt. This stunning moment ended an intense evening at the Estadio Olimpico de Montjuic.

Xavi expressed his dissatisfaction towards referee Kovacs, leading to his own dismissal. However, he still returned to the field after the game ended to express his annoyance once more towards the Romanian official.

"I have to say, the referee was terrible. I didn't enjoy the performance he gave and I made it clear to him. Normally, I don't like to focus on referees, but his performance really affected our season. It's important to acknowledge that," Xavi shared with Movistar Plus.

We feel really disappointed and frustrated as the red card ended up being the determining element in the game. If we had a full team of 11 players, we would have had a better chance of winning as we were already performing strongly and had control of the game.

Showing a red card in a game like this is excessive. There was another match that followed... It's a shame that all the effort put into the season was spoiled by an avoidable ejection.

PSG and Dortmund will face each other once again in the semi-finals of this season's competition, after having already played against each other in the group phase. Similar to PSG, the German team experienced a remarkable comeback in their match against Atletico Madrid, as they bounced back from their 2-1 loss in Spain last week and won 4-2 in their second leg. As a result, they achieved a 5-4 aggregate victory.

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PSG's One-man Advantage: How They Capitalized

The beginning of the match for Barcelona was impeccable as Raphinha outpaced Achraf Hakimi and reached Yamal's well-placed cross to score. Yamal, who was only 16 years and 278 days old at the time, became the youngest player to assist in a goal during the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Nevertheless, things took a turn when Araujo tripped Barcola right outside the box while he was chasing after Nuno Mendes' pass. This resulted in the hosts being left with only 10 players and having to defend against PSG for more than an hour. Their objective was to prevent PSG from scoring any more goals.

Dembele scored a goal by arriving at the far post and meeting Barcola's low cross in front of Joao Cancelo. The crowd, who had been jeering the former Barcelona player, were temporarily silenced.

Vitinha scored a goal that put the French champions in the lead during the match, causing Barcelona's team to feel frustrated. Even their manager Xavi was visibly upset and even received a red card for kicking some water bottles on the sideline.

The Spanish team's sadness was full when Mbappe scored a goal from the penalty spot after Dembele was fouled by Cancelo inside the penalty box.

Barca attempted to score a goal to extend the game into extra-time, but Mbappe capitalized on a counter attack and scored from a short distance, securing a spot in the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund.

Ousmane Dembele Shines As Match MVP

Dembele has managed to achieve a noteworthy feat by scoring goals in two back-to-back UEFA Champions League games. The last time he had done so was in October 2020 when he was playing for Barcelona. He has now become the first player in the competition to score against Barca in an away match after having previously played for them. The last person to have achieved this feat was Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored for Paris in a match against Barcelona back in December 2014.

In an interview with Canal+, Dembele stated that despite losing the first leg 3-2, the team never lost faith in their ability to qualify. They remained optimistic and were determined to score goals in the second leg. The team worked hard together and showed great effort and commitment.

Throughout the entire week, we collaborated closely with the coach to develop a strategic plan. His plan was flawless. Despite allowing the opposing team to score the initial goal, we remained steadfast and did not allow it to discourage us. We steadfastly maintained our faith in our abilities.

Araujo's Red Card Too Severe: Analysis

Evaluation conducted by Tim Sherwood from Sky Sports:

The referee made a significant choice to dismiss Araujo. Barcelona appeared to have things under control after Raphinha extended their lead. They began to effectively pass the ball and retain possession to prevent PSG from attacking.

Suddenly, Araujo tackled Barcola incorrectly and brought him down. While he put his arm on Barcola's shoulder, in my opinion, the referee giving a red card was overly severe.

The VAR reviewed the incident but it was clear that the decision wouldn't be reversed. The referee deemed it a red card and this completely shifted the momentum of the game. Dembele, who used to play for the opposing team, was a standout player and Mbappe also made an impact. Unfortunately, Cancelo's tackle on Dembele was a major mistake that resulted in a penalty.

In my opinion, Dortmund will face a difficult challenge. While the chances of winning are equal for both teams, I believe the ultimate champion will emerge from the opposite bracket.

Xavi Blames Red Card For Loss

The leader of Barcelona, Xavi, shared his thoughts on the game stating that their team had a good organization when both teams had 11 players on the field. However, the game changed dramatically after that. Barcelona had an opportunity to tie the game, but unfortunately, Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan) hit the post. On the other hand, Robert (Lewandowski) had a chance to increase the lead when he had an open shot, but he missed it.

There were great opportunities in the match, but it was a difficult task since we were trying to catch up with only 10 players. I wonder what the outcome would have been if we had kept all 11 players. I feel proud of our performance in this season's Champions League and expect Barcelona to return with an even stronger team next time.

We were uncertain about what alterations to implement after Ronald's dismissal. Though Pedri was recuperating from a muscle ailment, we sought the kind of command over possession and effective ball usage he provides, as well as the dynamic speed of Raphinha.

We made the decision to substitute Lamine with great sadness, in order to bring Inigo onto the field. These are the types of outcomes that occur when our team is left with only 10 players.

Pressing Was Key To Victory, Says Enrique

Luis Enrique, the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, expressed how challenging it was to play against Barcelona. He felt emotional and sentimental, which made it even more difficult. In terms of football, he hopes to avoid playing them in the future. Nonetheless, he's grateful that they were able to get through and win the match.

As a player or coach, the ultimate reward is seeing the positive impact of your work on others. It's an indescribable feeling that money can't buy. Achieving something truly remarkable for your team is incredibly satisfying. Our next goal is to prepare for the final match and do everything possible to secure our spot in it.

In regards to his squad, the player Mbappe proved to be a competent leader throughout the entire game. This proved to be a great advantage for his team as it motivated and inspired everyone to perform well. Another noteworthy player was Vitinha, who displayed great determination and skill in his final passes. Although he had a tough time adjusting to the environment, Dembele also played exceptionally well.

Mbappe's Opta Stats Show He's The Game-changer Again

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On Sunday, April 21st, the football team Barcelona is going to face Real Madrid, who is currently in the top position in the LaLiga. The match will begin at 8 pm. If Barcelona wins, the gap between the two teams will reduce to five points.

The football team PSG is going back to playing in Ligue 1, a league they are currently in first place with a lead of 10 points. They will be playing against Lyon at home on Sunday with the game starting at 8pm.

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