Super subs sink PSG
Xavi’s switches a masterstroke as Barca shackles Mbappe to seize advantage
PARIS — With his team trailing 2-1 and Paris Saint-Germain pushing hard for another goal, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez’s substitutions paid off immediately.
Midfielder Pedri set up the equalizer for Raphinha within a minute of coming on at Parc des Princes.
Then, two minutes after his introduction, central defender Andreas Christensen headed home from a corner to give Barca a 3-2 win in the first leg of its Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.
“Pedri came on and helped us a lot. I’m very proud of the team. Christensen also came on and helped,” Xavi said. “Tactically we did really well.”
Raphinha was the pick of Barcelona’s players on the night, and the Brazil forward had scored twice before Christensen’s 77th-minute goal.
The imposing Christensen headed Ilkay Gundogan’s corner from the left past Gianluigi Donnarumma from close range as the PSG goalkeeper stood rooted to his line instead of challenging for the ball.
After that goal, PSG coach Luis Enrique’s head dropped.
“We made things a bit difficult for ourselves. We managed to turn things around in the second half and could have had a third (goal),” Enrique said. “Everything’s still open for us and we will go there with ambition.”
Raphinha’s lively performance and finishing contrasted with a lackluster performance from Kylian Mbappe, who has scored a club-record 251 goals for PSG but did not hit the target this time or make many of his trademark electric runs from deep.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th minute and Ousmane Dembele equalized in the 48th against his former club. Three minutes later, midfielder Vitinha put PSG ahead from a Fabian Ruiz pass in a pulsating match during which Dembele hit the left post moments before Christensen’s goal.
Raphinha curled Barcelona ahead after Donnarumma struggled with Lamine Yamal’s slick right-wing cross, which the 16-year-old Spain winger exquisitely flicked with the outside of his left foot.
Sloppy defending from both sides followed. Mbappe’s left-wing cross was hacked clear by Ronald Araujo and fell to Dembele, who cut inside Frenkie de Jong and slammed the ball past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Vitinha was afforded too much space from Ruiz’s pass, and slid a shot under his body.
Raphinha read substitute Pedri’s superbly weighted long pass and clipped a volley past Donnarumma, making it 2-2 in the 62nd ahead of Christensen’s winner. Raphinha turned and stood still, arms crossed, defying the PSG crowd jeering him.
A fan ran onto the field seconds after the final whistle but was quickly caught by stewards.
The return leg is next Tuesday in Spain.
‘Great victory’
Xavi hailed his side’s victory, insisting it showed the Catalan side could once again compete with the very best teams in Europe.
“We had time to prepare for this game and everything turned out very well, in defense and in attack. We are proud of the team. Paris played very well, but we kept their threat to a minimum,” Xavi said.
“It is a great victory against one of the best teams in the world. It is very difficult to defend against this team because of how their players press you, but we did it very well,” added Xavi, whose side is unbeaten in the 12 games since he announced he would depart at the season’s end.
“We are only halfway there though, and it will be very difficult in Barcelona.”
The Catalan club is appearing in the last eight of the Champions League for the first time since 2020, when it lost 8-2 to Bayern Munich in Lisbon, and since Lionel Messi left the club.
It is its first away win in the knockout phase of the competition since 2019.
“The players believe in themselves,” said Xavi as he looked ahead to next Tuesday’s return at the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic.
“They have this opportunity, and if they play in the same way they will get chances. Nothing is done but we can be proud. This match shows that Barca is very much alive.”
It was a disappointing night for PSG, with Mbappe for once failing to deliver on a big occasion.
He scored a hat-trick on the French club’s last visit to Barcelona in the competition in 2021.