Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League, scoring twice within six minutes after Lamine Yamal had levelled at 2-2. Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz ended Barcelona’s 11-match winning run and kept the holders’ league-phase campaign on course.
Paris, France: For seventy minutes this was a contest of narrow margins, with the woodwork, a goalkeeper and an early injury shaping it as much as any finish. Then it cracked open. Four goals arrived in the last twenty minutes, and by the end the reigning champions had handed Barcelona their first defeat of the season.
Doué breaks the deadlock
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the post early for PSG, and Barcelona’s Joan García was busy throughout, but the opening goal came from range. Désiré Doué struck from outside the area in the first half to put the hosts ahead. PSG had lost Ousmane Dembélé to injury early in the match, with Ferran Torres coming on, and still kept their rhythm.
Barcelona fight back twice
Hansi Flick’s side levelled ten minutes into the second half. Xavi Espart exchanged passes with Fermín López and finished for 1-1. PSG regained the lead in the 72nd minute when Lucas Hernández headed in from a corner.
Barcelona answered again. Lamine Yamal turned in from a wide angle in the 79th minute to make it 2-2. They arrived on an 11-match winning run in all competitions, a streak that had included a 5-2 win at Real Betis on Saturday.
Two goals in six minutes
PSG’s reply took two minutes. Vitinha seized a loose ball and drove a shot in from outside the box in the 81st minute to restore the lead. Late on, Achraf Hakimi crossed low to the far post and Fabián Ruiz finished from close range to make it 4-2. Barcelona never recovered.
The shot count told the story of the finish. PSG had 22 attempts to Barcelona’s 18 and put 15 on target to the visitors’ five, even though Barcelona held 53 per cent of the possession. García made several saves to keep the margin down before the late collapse.
What it means
The win follows PSG’s 4-2 victory at Manchester City in the previous round, and it strengthens the holders’ position in a league phase shaped by a draw that handed them both Barcelona and City. Luis Enrique’s team now face the task of managing injuries: Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia both left the pitch hurt, and the extent of neither problem was immediately clear.
Barcelona have little time to regroup. They host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.
Result: Paris Saint-Germain 4 (Doué, Hernández, Vitinha, Ruiz), Barcelona 2 (Espart, Yamal). Half-time: 1-0. Venue: Parc des Princes, Paris. Competition: UEFA Champions League, league phase, Matchday 3.
