The scene of the game: Shortly before half-time, when the score was 1-1, Lionel Messi had the opportunity to give the oppressively superior FC Barcelona a 2-1 lead. But he failed with his hard-shot penalty to PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who prevented the deficit and even wobbly knees among his colleagues. The 4: 1 from the first leg appeared in those anxious minutes as a far from reassuring advantage for the French series champions.
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No wonder: In 2017, FC Barcelona were able to turn the 0: 4 from the first leg with a 6: 1 in the home stadium. But another football miracle did not materialize: After the 1-1 (1-1) win in the second leg, Paris Saint-Germain are among the last eight. Click here for the match report.
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Koemans Kniffe: Have to score four goals away? This requires extraordinary measures, which Barça coach Ronald Koeman also took. With Frenkie de Jong, he pulled his central figure in midfield back into a back three to use him there as a development player. On the other hand, the outside players Jordi Alba and Sergiño Dest were extremely high and in the front stormed with Ousmane Dembélé, Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann three instead of the last two attackers. The changes had an effect.
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The first half: FC Barcelona shot at the hosts’ goal nine times in these 45 minutes. The data provider Opta had not yet determined such negative statistics for PSG since the beginning of the analyzes in 2003/2004. Dembélé missed numerous good opportunities, Navas steered a Dest shot to the crossbar and there were also two goals: Kylian Mbappe scored 1-0 with a penalty (30th minute), Messi equalized with a fantastic violent shot (37th).
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PSG from the role: From the broad chest and the great performance of the first leg there was nothing to be seen at Paris Saint-Germain in the first half, but nothing at all. Mbappé and Mauro Icardi started only half-heartedly, the midfield and the defensive could be played apart and relied far too much on counter-what-it-may, instead of intermittent possession of the ball to calm the game down for a while. An extremely weak performance by Mauricio Pochettino’s team.
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The second half: Barça should not recover from the hit in the neck of the missed penalty. Messi missed the greatest chance of another goal in the 61st minute for the guests who missed the last conviction and, above all, their counter-pressing did not carry through the unconditional conviction that it would have needed for three more hits before a possible extension. PSG was more sorted, but remained pale.
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Navas, main character number one: The Costa Rican goalkeeper and former Real Madrid goalkeeper had just conceded his 20th career goal from Messi when he saved the Argentine’s penalty. His crossbar against Dest and a brilliant save in the 68th minute after a Sergio Busquets header were the decisive actions in crucial phases of the game.
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Messi, main character number two: It was clear before the game that a sensational game, even progress, would require an outstanding superstar. And unlike his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo when Juventus left the day before, the 33-year-old delivered. While he had scored all of his four goals so far this Champions League season with a penalty, number five was a sensational shot in the corner before he missed a penalty in his supposedly safe exercise – Messi’s first penalty awarded in more than six years . It was one of those games where you saw his genius flash again, but also the inkling that the younger Messi would actually have led his team to the football miracle in this game.
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The head held high: FC Barcelona had reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League 13 times in a row, and there won’t be a 14th time. The first leg disaster was followed by a decent farewell from the premier class, which nevertheless revealed the problems of the Catalans: The defenders have too little class, a Luis Suárez attacker is missing at the front. Not only as a goal scorer (17 league goals for Atlético Madrid), but also as a fighter, as a mess, as a leader.
PSG, now what? After the outstanding performance in the first leg, the football world bowed to Mbappé and colleagues, after the second leg the fear in Manchester, Liverpool or Munich will not be too great of meeting the Parisians in the quarter-finals draw. Once again, such an appearance does not go well.
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