Barca entered the quarterfinals with two goals.
Win the tie against PSG and win the ensuing tie against Dortmund or Atletico Madrid.
Do those things and you’ll end up in a Champions League final. Now that all sounds unrealistic, as it any Champions League journey for a club that has endured so much turmoil throughout the season.
But it’s still very possible, which is why Barca supporters were very excited leading up to tonight’s match against PSG.
So, would Barca reward their supporters with at least an encouraging performance? Or would it all come crashing down, something Barca supporters have become used to seeing?
Let’s find out.
First half
The first half saw both clubs go at each other with a few jabs here and there, maintaining their energy while waiting for the exact moment to attempt their first heavy shot.
There were some saves here and there from both keepers, with the most difficult looking one coming from Donnaruma, as he saved a heavy low driven shot by Raphinha in the early moments of the first half.
But in terms of heavy blows, there weren’t much just yet…until we neared the halftime whistle, when it was Raphinha who opened the scoring with a crucial, crucial goal.
Raphinha strikes
During a transitional chance for Barca, Barca had some momentum going forward. With Lamine Yamal carrying down the right flank, he lifted an outide the boot pass towards a streaking Robert Lewandowski.
Lewandowski couldn’t get to it, but it was dangerous enough for Donnaruma to leave his post and punch it away.
Unfortunately for PSG, the ball found its way to a patiently waiting Raphinha, who then settled with the ball, before lofting a nice right footed finish into the back of the net.
1-0 Barca, an impressive start after Barca looked a little overwhelmed to begin the match.
That goal was all for the action in the first half, with Barca leading 1-0 and Xavi’s men putting on an important display. But as we moved into the second half, we soon realized the halftime break was the only lull in action we were going to see throughout the rest of the match.
Let’s move into the second 45 minutes and dissect the fireworks we saw.
Second half
As I alluded to earlier, the second half produced some massive fireworks.
We start with two quick PSG goals to start the half, one from Ousmane Dembele and another from Vitinha.
Dembele’s goal was a bit of a wonder one, in fact it was one we’ve seen him score a few times for Barca. Cutting back while faking a shot then firing a powerful goal with his favored left footed above the keeper’s hands and into the net.
Impressive goal I can’t lie, even though it came from a player I truly will never understand. He has moments of brilliance, but he also had an embarrassing amount of gaffes that make you question if he’s even a professional footballer in the first place.
Confusing, confusing player.
The second goal came from a lapse in focus for Barca, as they completely cut their brains off for a moment, all while Vitinha slipped in and grooved a right footed shot far post past Ter Stegen.
Barca was now down 2-1 very quickly, with the Parc de Princes rocking and PSG having all the momentum in the world. Previously, Barca would crumble at the sight of this and disappointment would follow soon after.
Raphinha with a brace, Christensen with the winner
But it wasn’t the case this time, as Barca pulled it together and scored two goals to bring back their lead. The first goal was a beauty, with Pedri coming on and delivering a doozy of an assist.
He lofted a prettttyyy pass just over the PSG defense, finding Raphinha who then struck it with precision, guiding it past Donnaruma.
Suddenly it was 2-2, this after PSG had taken control and really sent the game into a spiral for Barca. It was a pleasant surprise given Barca’s previous crumble jobs before, but that didn’t matter at that point.
Barca had drew it level and there was plenty of time to go.
Barca understood the assignment as well, as Andreas Christensen scored the winner later in the second half. This time off a corner, as he wasn’t marked well enough.
The game had been flipped on its head.
Barca had taken the lead back after losing it in quick succession. To be honest, it’s a mentality driven development that I didn’t expect at all. But Barca responded and proved me wrong, thank God they did that, huh?
As the remaining minutes passed by, Barca were on the back foot, trying to defend their lead from a still confident PSG side.
Other than that though, Barca defended well and held on to their 3-2 lead en route to a big time win.
Final word
Fireworks were what we received.
What an up and down match, more importantly though, what a damn case of strong mental fortitude from Barca to come back and win in the second half. We’ve seen this club crumble under pressure in Europe before and it had become a massive problem for the club, players and managers involved.
But today was different.
Barca banded together, stuck their foot in the ground, and clawed their way towards victory when all hope seemed lost.
You can only hope this can become a new norm for the club, but for now, enjoy the win and count down the days until next week’s crucial second leg.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be on Saturday, when they take on Cadiz away from home.
See you all then!
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
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