Wonderkid Lamine Yamal gave another taste of his immense talent as Barcelona’s revival continued with a thrilling 3-2 Champions League defeat of Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday (AEST).
At 16 years and 272 days old, the Spain winger became the elite tournament’s youngest player to appear in a quarter-final, ahead of Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, when he took the pitch at Parc des Princes.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed recently that he rejected a $333m bid for the most prized young asset in world football.
Yamal wasn’t perfect but he flashed his rare gifts to set up the first of Raphinha’s two goals in Paris.
Raphinha curled Barcelona ahead in the 37th minute after PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma struggled with Yamal’s slick right wing cross, which he exquisitely flicked with the outside of his left foot.
Ousmane Dembele then equalised in the 48th minute against his former club.
Kylian Mbappe’s left wing cross was hacked clear by Ronald Araujo and fell to Dembele, who cut inside Frenkie de Jong and slammed the ball past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Three minutes later, midfielder Vitinha put PSG ahead in a pulsating match.
Vitinha was afforded too much space from Fabian Ruiz’s pass, and slid a shot under his body.
Raphinha then read substitute Pedri’s superbly weighted long pass and clipped a volley past Donnarumma, making it 2-2 in the 62nd minute.
But there was to be another twist as Barcelona substitute Andreas Christensen met a corner and stooped to head past Donnarumma for the winning goal in the 77th minute.
After that goal, PSG manager Luis Enrique’s head dropped.
“We made things a bit difficult for ourselves. We managed to turn things around in the second half and could have had a third,” Enrique said.
“Everything’s still open for us and we will go there with ambition.”
The rivalry between PSG and Barcelona has intensified in recent years, with Barcelona again in the driver’s seat.
PSG knocked Barcelona out in the round of 16 in 2021, but endured quarter-final exits in 2013 and 2015.
Then, in 2017, Enrique’s Barca routed PSG 6-1 in the return leg of their last 16 match to make Champions League comeback history after losing 4-0.
PSG does not need a comeback of that magnitude but must improve.
