2024-04-17 03:15:41
Paris is in the semi-finals of the Champions League. After a defeat in the first leg, PSG won thanks to a strong performance in Barcelona, but benefited from a sending off.
Paris Saint-Germain surprisingly reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and will face Borussia Dortmund there. After a 2-3 home defeat a week ago, PSG won 4-1 (1-1) in the quarter-final second leg at FC Barcelona. That was enough to move forward.
The goals for the Parisians in the Olympic Stadium in the Catalan metropolis were scored by Ousmane Dembélé (40th minute), Vitinha (54th) and world star Kylian Mbappé (61st/penalty and 89th). Raphinha scored for the home team (12th).
In the semi-finals, PSG will now face an old friend in BVB, who beat Atlético Madrid 4-2. Both teams had already faced each other in the preliminary round. “I wouldn’t have believed that Paris would still be able to do that,” said the astonished BVB boss Hans-Joachim Watzke on Amazon Prime about the result in Barcelona.
This is how the encounter went
PSG appeared more active in the early stages, but this did not result in any good scoring opportunities. Quite different on the other side: After a sharp cross from 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, Rapinha got to the ball in front of former Dortmund player Achraf Hakimi and somehow pushed him over the goal line with his left leg (12th). The Brazilian had already scored twice in the 3-2 first leg.
The lead irritated PSG and the French were even more risky offensively. However, the result was another good chance for Barcelona in the 20th minute when Nuno Mendes cleared a cross directly to former Munich player Robert Lewandowski, who was lurking in the penalty area. However, the Pole then put the ball just over the goal from ten meters.
After just under half an hour the game tipped in favor of the guests. First Mbappé missed the equalizer with a header (28th), then Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo received a red card after an emergency stop on Bradley Barcola (29th). A key moment. Because after that PSG clearly took command. The former Dortmund player Ousmane Dembélé took advantage of this advantage in the 40th minute after a sharp cross from Vitinha to make it 1-1. With this result we went into the break.
At the start of the second half, PSG continued to set the tone and had a direct chance through Fabián in the 52nd minute – but the Spaniard shot just wide. Two minutes later, Vitinha gave the visitors the lead with a precise 25-meter shot.
However, Barça were by no means shocked by this and almost equalized in direct response through İlkay Gündoğan – but his attempt from distance bounced off the left outside post and into the goal.
Coach Xavi was so upset about the missed opportunity that he avoided a UEFA advertising hoarding. That was a bit too much for referee István Kovács and he sent Barcelona’s trainer from the dugout with a red card (56th).
Just three minutes later, Kovács awarded a penalty after João Cancelo fouled Dembélé. World star Mbappé safely converted this against the hopeless German national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen to give the French a 3-1 lead (61st).
Barça then threw everything forward and Lewandowski had the goal in the 73rd, but the Pole was denied from a central position by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Shortly before the end, Mbappé scored after a counterattack to make the final score (89th).