April 17 – It was an uncharacteristically poor night of European club football for Spanish teams on Tuesday as the Champions League qualified its first two semi-finalists, with PSG and Borussia Dortmund both overcoming first leg deficits to go through on a thrilling evening of European football.
Raphinha’s early goal made FC Barcelona look set for an early ticket to the semi-finals, cruising at home with a 2-goal lead over youthful opponents PSG.
The Brazilian’s work was quickly undone after Ronald Araujo pulled down Bradley Barcola on the edge of the box, earning the Uruguayan a controversial straight red card and completely derailing his team’s home composure.
The dismissal meant the end for talented youngster Lamine Yamal, who assisted the opener, as Xavi looked to shore up the defence.
It didn’t take long for PSG to capitalise on their numerical advantage, which left 17-year-old Barca defender Pau Cubarsi as the lone centre back for a sustained period. They equalised on the night thanks to a thumping effort from Ousmane Dembele against his former club.
Entering into the second half, Barcelona’s game plan began to melt away as manager Xavi Hernandez saw red for his pitch-side antics despite still leading on aggregate. It seems unlikely this match has remedied the Spaniard’s eagerness to leave the club at the end of the season.
Teaching the Catalan club a lesson in composure, PSG midfielder Vitinha slotted home to bring his side level on aggregate and shift the tide unprecedentedly in PSG’s favour.
Almost poetically, Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo gave away a penalty for a mistimed tackle on Ousmane Dembele, which Kylian Mbappe sent into the top left corner earning PSG a good-value lead just seven minutes after Vitinha’s equaliser.
The Frenchman then doubled his individual contribution with a late goal to seal his side’s progression to the semi finals, with the final score at 1-4 (4-6 on aggregate).
Xavi took the opportunity…
Source link : https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/04/17/red-hot-night-ucl-action-psg-dump-barca-dortmund-turn-glory-misery-atleti/
Author : Paul Nicholson
Publish date : 2024-04-17 15:26:21
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