PLAYER RATINGS | PSG 2-3 Barcelona: Hosts undone by Raphinha double and defensive errors

Although the prospect of a Remontada rematch had dominated the build-up tonight’s clash at the Parc des Princes, Luis Enrique’s reunion with former teammate Xavi emerged as an unexpectedly confrontational subplot.

Asked about which of the two coaches was a better representative of the Catalan style of play, the Asturian was unequivocal – “It’s me, no doubt about it. That’s not an opinion, look at the statistics”. The World Cup winner, meanwhile, took a more conciliatory approach to the question, as he emphasised the “BarçaDNA” that links together half of this year’s quarter-finalists.

For most of the first half, it was Xavi who was making the better case for that title. Although PSG initially dominated possession, their forays into the Barcelona box were few and far between, and eventually the frailty of their makeshift defence was put to the test.

While a Nuno Mendes goalline clearance initially kept them at bay, the Catalans eventually made the breakthrough ten minutes from the break. Lewandowski – whose tireless hold-up play kept the entire backline busy – would find Lamine Yamal, whose cross Donnarumma could only get fingertips to, leaving Raphinha to sweep into an empty net. 

It was Luis Enrique, though, whose half-time tweaks proved the most effective, and within minutes of the restart the Ligue 1 leaders had turned the game around. With a shot that rifled into the roof of the net, Dembélé made up for his misfiring first half to equalise and open his European account for the campaign – against his former team, no less. Seconds later, Vitinha ventured into the box to convert from a Fabián Ruiz through ball.

The Blaugrana would be back ahead within minutes, though. With his first touch after coming on, Pedri found