Euro curtain call for Barcelona hero
minutes. With a mountain to climb already, Barcelona had not even started the ascent.
With four goals for Mbappe against Barcelona, it is the most any player has ever scored against them in a season – and it came in just two games.
There were flickers of life from Barca. Ousmane Dembele had a shot saved and Antoine
Griezmann saw a header stopped by goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
It was left to Messi to pull them level with that incredible longrange strike but his missed penalty in first-half injury time stalled the momentum.
In the end there was to be no repeat of 2017, when Barcelona overturned a 4-0 deficit against PSG thanks to three goals in an hour, then another three in seven minutes 17 seconds. In truth, it never even looked on the cards.
PSG captain Marquinhos said: “We deserve this qualification. It was a difficult match. We knew the context would be different compared to the first leg.“
“Barca had the courage to press very high and make it difficult for us to get the ball forward.”
HIBS BELL SIDEBAR
HIBS will have huge gloves to fill if they can’t strike a deal with Ofir Marciano, insists Cammy Bell.
Despite spending only five months at Easter Road the former Rangers keeper struck up a close bond with the Israel international whom he rates as one of the best he has worked with.
A new contract offer has long been on the table for Marciano who is in his fifth season in Leith. But the 31-year-old has yet to commit and in an interview back in his homeland stated he’d like to test himself in the Premier League.
Bell said: “Ofir has been one of the top goalkeepers in Scotland for the last two or three years and is as good as any keeper I have played with.
“Some of his shot-stopping is phenomenal. Every year he is up there for save of the season. He’s got a big presence but his reaction saves are as good as anyone.
“He has all the attributes to go to a higher level. I just think he ticks all the boxes to go and play in England or Europe.
“If Hibs lose him then they’ll have a hard job to find another goalkeeper who can perform at that level every week. They’ve had a problem in that department over the years. Goalies have chopped and changed but then Ofir came in and was a consistent No.1.
“So if they could get him tied down to a new deal it would be a fabulous bit of business.
“If he was to sign a new deal then it would be as good as any new signing they could make.”