Raphinha double and Xavi subs guide Barcelona to thrilling PSG triumph

Xavi's substitutes came up trumps

Raphinha stepped forward as the unlikely hero for Barcelona, as Xavi Hernandez savored a memorable 3-2 win over PSG in the Champions League victory quarter-final first leg at Parc des Princes.

While much of the prematch build-up focused on Kylian Mbappe ahead of his impeding move to Spain, the Frenchman had a quiet evening as the two sides played out a fascinating game in Paris.

The game started on a lively note whenLewandowski thought he had headed Barca in front after a misguided claim from Gianluigi Donnarumma, but left-back Nuno Mendes did superbly to hack the ball clear off the line.

The visitors continued to press for an opener as PSG felt the heat, withIlkay Gundogan and Lewandowski again going close with Donnarumma looking less than assured in the PSG goal.

And the opener came thanks to a piece of quality from the 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who proved with one pass why there is such a hype surrounding the teenager.

The Spanish youngster produced a stunning delivery with a trivela — using the outside of his left boot — to find Lewandowski in the penalty area. The striker ducked out of a 50-50 with Donnarumma, but there was Raphinha to mop up the rebound with a well-placed effort into the empty net to score his first Champions League goal.

It was no less than Barca deserved after taking the initiative to PSG, with Mbappe and the former Barca man Dembele a long way off their best in the first half.

But after the break, fresh from Luis Enrique's inspiring half-time team-talk, PSG looked fired up and found the equaliser just three minutes after the break. Mbappe's cutback deflected into the path of Dembele, who smartly faked a shot onto his left foot and hammered the ball into the roof of the