Barcelona 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain (Agg: 4-6): Kylian Mbappe scores a brace as Ligue 1 team wins the Champions League epic

Luis Enrique made a triumphant return to Barcelona, leading Paris Saint-Germain to a thrilling 4-1 victory in the second leg of the Champions League.

Kylian Mbappe‘s outstanding performance played a crucial role in their impressive win, securing a 6-4 aggregate victory.

After trailing 3-2 in the first leg and falling behind 1-0 on Tuesday night, they showed incredible resilience to secure a spot in the final four. Their next challenge awaits them in the form of Borussia Dortmund, as they vie for a coveted place in the final at Wembley.

Barcelona increased their advantage during the match as Raphinha successfully converted Lamine Yamal’s cross (12). However, the game took a different turn when referee Istvan Kovacs made the call to send off Ronald Araujo for a professional foul (29) on Bradley Barcola.

PSG demonstrated their dominance by capitalising on their numerical advantage, equalising the score with a goal from Ousmane Dembele just before half-time (40).

Isidore Kovacs, on the left, gives Ronald Araujo a red card

Enrique’s team maintained their momentum after the restart, with Vintinha scoring a fantastic goal to equalise the match (54). However, a reckless challenge from Joao Cancelo in the penalty area gave Mbappe the opportunity to put the French club in the lead overall (61).

As Barcelona pushed players forward in the final moments, Mbappe took advantage of a mistake by Jules Kounde and scored for PSG. This added to the excitement of the match at the Estadio Olimpico de Montjuic.

Joao Cancelo of Barcelona gave up the important penalty

Xavi expressed his dissatisfaction to referee Kovacs and was subsequently given a red card. However, even after the match ended, he returned to the pitch to once again express his frustration towards the Romanian official.

“The referee was quite poor.” I informed him that his performance was less than satisfactory. I prefer not to discuss referees, but it is undeniable that their decisions had a significant impact on the season,” Xavi shared with Movistar Plus.

“We are extremely disappointed and frustrated as the red card played a crucial role in determining the outcome of the match. With 11 players, we were in a favourable position, performing admirably and in control.

Two goals were scored by Kylian Mbappe in a legendary Champions League match

“Flashing a red card in a game like this seems excessive.” There was another event that followed… It’s unfortunate that the efforts of the season were spoiled by an unnecessary removal.

PSG is set to face Dortmund in the semi-finals, after already crossing paths with them during the group phase of this season’s competition. In a stunning display of resilience, the German team managed to completely reverse their fortunes in the match against Atletico Madrid. After suffering a 2-1 defeat in Spain last week, they came back with a vengeance in the second leg, securing a remarkable 4-2 victory. This impressive performance led to an overall triumph with a 5-4 aggregate score.

Why PSG’s extra man was so valuable…

Barcelona had a fantastic start as Raphinha skillfully positioned himself ahead of Achraf Hakimi to connect with Yamal’s well-placed cross. Yamal made history by becoming the youngest player to contribute to a goal in the knockout stages of the Champions League at just 16 years and 278 days old.

However, when Araujo committed a foul on Barcola just outside the box while chasing Nuno Mendes’ pass, the home team found themselves with a player less and had to defend against PSG for the remaining hour, aiming to concede only one goal.

That moment occurred when Dembele arrived at the far post to meet Barcola’s low cross in front of Joao Cancelo, momentarily quieting the crowd that had been jeering the former Barcelona player.

Vitinha scored the opening goal for his team, putting the French champions in the lead. Barcelona’s manager, Xavi, expressed his frustration by kicking some water bottles and was subsequently sent off.

The Spanish club’s unfortunate turn of events was finalised when Mbappe successfully scored from the penalty spot, following Cancelo’s foul on Dembele inside the box.

As Barca desperately searched for a goal to extend the game, Mbappe seized the opportunity of a swift counter attack to score from a short distance and secure a spot in the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund.