Barcelona failed to take advantage of the first-leg victory as Kylian Mbappe‘s brace put PSG in the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 victory in Spain.
Kylian Mbappe scored a brace, and Ousmane Dembele, of a former Catalan side, also scored to overturn a one-goal first-leg deficit and secure a 6-4 aggregate triumph.
If there was a turning point in the clash, it must have been Ronald Araujo’s first-half red card, which changed the whole complexion of the tie.
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The 10-man Barca, also without manager Xavi, who was sent off during the early second half (56′), could not cope with an extremely determined French side.
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It was an ideal start for the home side when Raphinha, whose brace put down PSG at Parc des Princes, put the hosts ahead after only 13 minutes. The aggregate lead was double, and the home fans were excited.
Mbappe threatened with a finish that forced Marc-Andre ter Stegen to save after 25 minutes. Shortly after, the same talisman could not find a leveller with a near-post drive.
Just four minutes later, the tie was turned on its head. Barcola sprinted clear of the Barcelona defence after a fortuitous ricochet and was brought down just outside the box by Araujo. The Uruguayan centre-back was shown a straight red card for his last-man challenge.
The defender was sent off for a foul, denying a clear goalscoring chance, and Dembele beat the pressure to shorten the gap before Vitinha’s fine finish brought the game back on level after the break.
Barcelona had a 3-2 aggregate lead from the first leg of the quarter-final, and they quickly increased their advantage through Raphinha’s close-range effort.
But Ronald Araujo was sent off for denying Bradley Barcola a clear goalscoring chance just before the half-hour mark. Ousmane Dembele later netted an equalizer for PSG before the break.
Vitinha brought PSG back level on aggregate with an excellent long-range strike after the break.
The leveller was inevitable since PSG dominated after the restart. Vitinha pulled a thunderous shot that went low into the bottom corner.
Shaken and short on quantity, Barca seemed to give up when Joao Cancelo’s late lunge on Dembele handed PSG a penalty. As expected, Mbappe converted his spot kick with little fuss to complete a remarkable turnaround for the visitors.
Barca hunted for a goal against the odds and almost grabbed it via Lewandowski, who stung Gianluigi Donnarumma’s palms with a strong effort from just outside the area. Raphinha looked like he may catch his second five minutes later, but his wayward shot couldn’t test Donnarumma from close range.
PSG eventually put the tie to bed just a minute from time when Mbappe grabbed his second of the game after a swift break from the visitors. The Frenchman saw his initial effort stopped by Ter Stegen, but Jules Kounde’s poor clearance allowed him to end it once and for all.
