KYLIAN MBAPPE DOWNS BARCELONA AS PSG WIN FIERY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CLASH - 5 TALKING POINTS

Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the Champions League semi-final for the first time in three years after producing a sensational comeback to beat Barcelona 6-4 on aggregate.

Trailing 3-2 after the first leg at the Parc des Princes, PSG went further behind inside the opening 15 minutes as Raphinha put Barcelona ahead on the night and two in front in the tie. However, PSG were handed a lifeline on the half-hour mark when Ronald Araujo was shown a straight red card.

PSG capitalised on the one man advantage and pulled one back as Ousmane Dembele, against his former club, scored from close range just before half-time. Luis Enrique's side levelled shortly after the break through Vitinha, before Kylian Mbappe kept his cool to convert a penalty and edge them into the lead.

And as Barcelona were pushing to level, PSG caught them on the counter-attack and put the game firmly to bed. After seeing an effort saved moments before, Mbappe lashed the ball into the bottom corner to secure a 4-2 victory on the night and a 6-4 win on aggregate.

PSG now face Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final after the German side progressed past Atletico Madrid. Here are five talking points from the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys...

Araujo red card

Just as Barcelona looked like they were cruising through to the semi-final, their task was made a whole lot harder when they were reduced to 10 men. In the 29th minute, Araujo was given a straight red card for bringing down Barcola just outside the edge of the box and denying a goalscoring opportunity.

Araujo protested his innocence and claimed he had Pau Cubarsi coming across to spare him the dismissal but referee Istvan Kovacs was in no doubt. VAR official Marco Fritz had a closer look at the incident, agreed with Kovacs and decided that a red card was the correct call.

Sensational PSG turnaround

Ever since Barcelona were reduced down to 10 men, it was one-way traffic as PSG pushed to get back into the game and overturn the 4-2 deficit on aggregate. After a sustained amount of pressure, PSG pulled a goal back through that man Dembele, who haunted his former club once again.

Having netted in the first leg, he slotted the ball home from a tight angle after Bradley Barcola pulled the ball across the area. That staged for an exciting second half ahead and it didn't take long for PSG to take the lead on the night and level on aggregate, as Vitinha fired into the corner from just outside the box.

PSG continued to push and were gifted an opportunity to poke their noses in front from the penalty spot after Dembele was brought down inside the box by Joao Cancelo. Barcelona collapsed but PSG did not care as Mbappe was clinical from 12 yards, slotting beyond Marc Andre ter Stegen.

Barcelona pushed to level but were punished on the counter-attack as PSG scored a fourth to secure their place in the last four. Marco Asensio had seen his volley saved by Ter Stegen before the ball fell on a plate to Mbappe inside the area and he slotted the ball home for his second of the night.

Raphinha continues fine form

After scoring a brace - his first two Champions League goals - in the first-leg victory at the Parc des Princes, Raphinha found the net once again against PSG. Lamine Yamal jinked beyond his marker on the right-hand side before firing the ball into the box for Raphinha, who diverted the ball home from close range.

The Brazilian has been in excellent form since cementing his place in the Barcelona side. He now has four goals and two assists in his last six matches and is showing exactly why he is ahead of Ferran Torres and Joao Felix right now, although he did miss a BIG chance to equalise in the tie late on.

Xavi loses head

Although PSG deserved to go through in the end, Barcelona were the architect of their own downfall. Xavi's side simply were not disciplined enough when going down to ten and allowed their opponents to have too many chances. That ended up costing them the tie and their place in the Champions League.

As well as the Barcelona players collapsing to let PSG back into the match, Xavi also lost his composure on the touchline and booted the padding around the VAR monitor after a decision went against his side. Kovacs went straight over to the Spaniard and decided to send him off for showing his frustration.

History created

The Champions League has often served as one of the biggest platforms for footballers to showcase their qualities when the world is watching. Alongside that, it has also provided an opportunity for young players to display their class and talent in front of the millions glued to the television.

Barcelona and PSG boast two of the youngest squads in the competition this season - and both helped smash a remarkable record during their second-leg tie. For the first time in Champions League knockout stage history, three players under the age of 18 started in the form of Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Warren Zaire-Emery.

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2024-04-16T21:14:12Z dg43tfdfdgfd