Paris Saint-Germain are into the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2021 after pulling off both a comeback on the night and on aggregate against Barcelona, evoking memories of 2017’s La Remontada – just the other way around.
Prior to kick-off, Barcelona led 3-2 from the first leg and came onto the pitch against a backdrop of noise from just over 50,000 fans inside the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, delighted to witness the first Champions League quarter-final tie being played in the city since 2019.
But PSG’s thumping 4-1 win left those supporters distraught and the French contingent elated.
These are two of the biggest names in world football, clubs who have spent insane amounts of money in the transfer market. But youth was the order of the day from the off.
◉ 18-year-old Warren Zaïre-Emery
◉ 17-year-old Pau Cubarsí
◉ 16-year-old Lamine YamalThree players aged 18 or under are starting a Champions League knockout stage match for the first time in the competition’s history. #UCL pic.twitter.com/bILAUNPAPz
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 16, 2024
It took just 12 minutes for Barcelona to break the deadlock and extend their aggregate advantage. Raphinha scored the goal after Lamine Yamal breezed past Nuno Mendes like he wasn’t there.
Barcelona get off to a flyer against Paris Saint-Germain 💥
Lamine Yamal does Nuno Mendes for pace to set up Raphinha, who just like in the first leg, scores in the second! #UCL
📺 @tntsports and @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/gefkJMou44
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
The watching world went crazy for the 16-year-old.
🔵🔴✨ Lamine Yamal with a fantastic assist for Barça… 16 years old, by the way. pic.twitter.com/75cH9Ma9pE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 16, 2024
The Lamine Yamal conundrum. Yeah he’s 16, yeah you don’t want him to play too many minutes, but he’s ALREADY one of the best players in the world. How do you bench one of the best players in the world?
— Bd@irB@ll (@Bd_irB_ll) April 16, 2024
Lamine Yamal is younger than my YouTube channel.
— John Green (@sportswithjohn) April 16, 2024
A record breaker, no less.
Lamine Yamal becomes the youngest ever player (16 years & 283 days) to assist a goal in the Champions League Knockout stages.
Incredible talent. 💫💫💫 pic.twitter.com/nP9Ce2a3Fh
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 16, 2024
As an aside, it was also a major landmark goal for Barcelona in the Champions League.
Raphinha has scored Barça’s 6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th Champions League goal. pic.twitter.com/Zpx3vjPLRY
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 16, 2024
But things got way harder when Ronald Araujo was sent off for bringing down PSG winger Bradley Barcola only 29 minutes in. A VAR check confirmed it was a free-kick and not a penalty, although there was no saving the Uruguayan centre-back from an early bath either.
Ronald Araújo is shown a straight red for bundling over Bradley Barcola 🟥
A HUGE moment in the tie between Barcelona and PSG!#UCL
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/l1D8hODp0P
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
Barca players: ‘Okay we have a nice 2 goal cushion here, let’s not mess around’
Araujo:
pic.twitter.com/ikB9Fz0UbP— ِ (@mcfcmo1) April 16, 2024
Araujo trying to get in the Barcelona changing room at halftime
— . (@toops99) April 16, 2024
The flipside of Araujo’s dismissal was Barca needing to bring on another defender in his absence and sacrificing Yamal of all people to make it happen.
Lamine Yamal subbed off for Iñigo Martinez !
Nuno Mendes can now breathe 😂 He almost chocked on Yamal’s runs !
— Lorenzo MUSANGAMFURA (@ogalorenzo) April 16, 2024
With a player advantage, it wasn’t long before PSG levelled things up on the night. Of course, it was only ever going to be Ousmane Dembele.
Ousmane Dembélé haunts Barcelona AGAIN 😵
Dembélé is free at the far post to kickstart PSG’s fightback!#UCL
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/MQRTB704aU
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
Ousmane Dembélé has only scored 3 goals all season… 2 of them have come against former club Barcelona 👀 pic.twitter.com/Vxx3fzSDHk
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
PSG got the next goal too, Vitinha putting the French side ahead on the night and level on aggregate at 4-4 with just over 35 minutes of the 90 to play.
Vitinha, that is a 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧 🤩
PSG are back in it! We’re level on aggregate at 4-4 🍿#UCL
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/PriyrdiCD5
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
Lewandowski trying to block that Vitinha shot pic.twitter.com/B2R4h0SCIi
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) April 16, 2024
Cancelo’s dumb tackle, Lewandowski not closing Vitinha… just sheer idiocy from veterans who ought to know better.
— Muhammad Butt (@muhammadbutt) April 16, 2024
A few minutes later, PSG had themselves a penalty. Demebele was the player who drew the foul.
🤔 𝗗𝗘𝗕𝗔𝗧𝗘: Penalty or no penalty? pic.twitter.com/yWsJ3Ox9kb
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) April 16, 2024
That Dembele smile after winning the penalty, he hates them so much man 😂😂😂
— Trey (@UTDTrey) April 16, 2024
Dembele showing that being fueled by hatred is more power than any form of training or tactics. Game changer this tie.
— 🏴☠️ (@FuadCadani) April 16, 2024
Kylian Mbappe scored it to put PSG 3-1 up and also 5-4 ahead in the tie overall.
Kylian Mbappé fires Paris Saint-Germain ahead on aggregate from the spot 🥶
What a comeback from PSG!#UCL
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/C9TOlLlTl3
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
Tempers boiled over and another red card came out, this time for Xavi on the sideline.
Barcelona manager Xavi is sent off… no one is safe from the referee tonight ❌#UCL
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/ZqjUuyqe9D
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
Xavi getting sent off as Barcelona manager for almost booting some TV equipment while wearing a Stone Island jumper is not the story arc we imagined for him 10 years ago
— Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) April 16, 2024
Xavi has now received more red cards as a manager (3) than he did as a player (2) over his 22 year long playing career…
😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/qK1FyRpbPU
— george (@StokeyyG2) April 16, 2024
Barcelona’s own penalty appeals were denied.
📸 – GUNDOGAN GOES DOWN, NO PENALTY GIVEN! pic.twitter.com/BUJdCHZepV
— 𝐀𝐅𝐂 𝐀𝐉𝐀𝐗 💎 (@TheEuropeanLad) April 16, 2024
For PSG, this was revenge for La Remontada, at last.
Luis Enrique masterminded the Remontada against PSG in 2017 and now masterminding a comeback against Barca 7 years later. Football is scripted
— Imoh (@imohumoren) April 16, 2024
this is not even a good remontada barca are just ass pic.twitter.com/lTHX61eP2N
— 🎃 (@aIonelystarr) April 16, 2024
As Barcelona desperately pushed, trying to remontada the remontada, spaces opened up and PSG took full advantage. Mbappe scored his second, making it 4-1 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate.
Kylian Mbappé scores again to send Paris Saint-Germain to the #UCL semi-final 🤯
Comeback complete, game over for Barcelona!
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/V3nT67ELdu
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 16, 2024
Mbappe
Game. Set. Match #UCL— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) April 16, 2024
Only Cristiano Ronaldo (23 in 39 games) has scored more away goals in the knockout rounds of the Champions League than Kylian Mbappé (15).
The Frenchman has done it in 12 games.🤯 pic.twitter.com/BJkUTfiOrp
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 16, 2024
🔴🔵 41 goals in 42 games this season.
Ladies and gentlemen, Kylian Mbappé. ✨🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/YZxrRsQbgP
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 16, 2024
