Neymar’s night an escape for the ages
Brazilian’s ‘best game ever’ helps write CL history
BARCELONA — Brazilian striker Neymar described his two-goal display on Wednesday as his “best game ever” after he inspired the greatest comeback in Champions League history in Barcelona’s 6-1 thrashing of Paris Saint-Germain.
The Catalans became the first side to come back from a 4-0 first-leg deficit as Neymar tallied twice in the final two minutes and then set up the 95th-minute winner by Sergi Roberto to reach the quarterfinals 6-5 on aggregate.
“This is the best game I have ever played. For what it meant, for what we experienced and because I am in great form,” Neymar told BeIN Sports.
Luis Suarez’s early opener, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and Lionel Messi’s penalty gave Barca a 3-0 lead inside 50 minutes.
But the Spanish champion looked down and out when Edison Cavani volleyed home what appeared to be the clinching away goal for PSG.
“Before, we believed. Now we believe even more,” Neymar said of Barca’s chances of winning a sixth Champions League.
“When they scored the goal we had a little dip, but then there was the fourth and the penalty. We concentrated and Sergi’s goal came.
“I know that we have made history. A team like this can do anything. The game was lost and we went out to play without pressure and with joy, throwing everything forward.”
Barca manager Luis Enrique announced last week he will leave the club after the season. He was heavily criticized following a 4-0 humiliation in Paris three weeks ago.
He took the opportunity to address his critics as he thanked the “faith” of the Barca players and fans.
“First we had the mourning and that was especially hard on one person,” he said.
“This victory is dedicated to all Barca fans, but especially those that had faith in their team even after a day in which they were clearly outplayed by a team like PSG.”
Barca defender Gerard Pique was more succinct: “It’s a miracle. We are in the quarters, which was the objective before it got a lot more complicated in Paris.
“We never stopped believing, even the fans, who are normally the most pessimistic. It seems this new generation believes in the team more.
“We have done it all together, and that helps a lot.”
The heroics of Neymar, Suarez and Messi not withstanding, it was Roberto who proved to be Barca’s unlikely savior as he choose the perfect time to score his first goal of the season.
“I threw myself at it with everything,” said the Spain international.
“We left Paris very down and now this is incredible. We were prepared for all this. The fans were like 10 extra players, and in the end this is all for them.”
Enrique said he has wondered why Roberto doesn’t find the net with more regularity.
“I saw him score a lot of goals for the youth team and it is always a joke between us: ‘Why doesn’t Sergi score more?’ And then he scores tonight,” said the manager. “This sport is indescribable.”
Losing focus
PSG coach Unai Emery cursed his side for switching off in the final minutes of its 6-1 defeat, making it the only team in the competition’s history to squander a four-goal advantage.
“In the last few minutes we lost everything we had worked so hard for, and there’s no explanation for what happened — it was all or nothing,” Emery said.
“We have to accept that we had an opportunity to grow after playing so well in the first leg and gaining a lot of confidence and we didn’t take it.
“You learn from negative experience, and this is a very negative experience for the players, for me and for the staff.”
Emery aired his complaints about the decisions of German referee Deniz Aytekin, who gave two penalties to Barca in the second half and turned down PSG’s appeal after the ball struck the arm of Javier Mascherano.
“Things changed in the second half and I was more calm as the team looked better and more likely to cause Barca problems even after the penalty which put them into the tie,” Emery said.
“The decisions went their way, but in the vital moments we should have done so much better.”
PSG’s Qatari president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said there were no excuses for not advancing as he came to terms with the team’s earliest exit from the Champions League since the club was taken over by the Qatar Investment Authority in 2011.
“There can be no excuses ... unfortunately we did not play our game in the first half,” said Al-Khelaifi.
“After winning 4-0 in the first leg this is very difficult to accept, but we have no choice.
“After the first leg we had plenty of reason to believe we’d get to the quarterfinals but we know that in football nothing is guaranteed.
“It’s very difficult to accept conceding three goals in seven minutes and everyone is feeling down, as you would expect.”
I know that we have made history. A team like this can do anything.” Neymar, after Barcelona’s stunning 6-1 victory on Wednesday