Barca slips in Paris

Despite Messi and Nemar both scoring, the former champions still suffered a 2-3 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in the second round of the Champions League yesterday, September 30.

Barcelona's loose defense left them disappointed. Photo: Reuters.

PSG caused a big surprise when it only took 56 minutes to score three goals against Barca. David Luiz, Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi took turns to replace the famous strikers, giving the Catalan giants their first defeat in all competitions this season. The two artistic goals from Lionel Messi and Neymar were only honorary.

The win over Barca showed that PSG's squad depth is at its peak. Coach Laurent Blanc will be without Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi due to injury.

Barca's downfall began with the smallest mistakes. When PSG opened the scoring in the 10th minute, the defense was not solid, allowing David Luiz to comfortably receive the ball in the penalty area and shoot from close range to score.

If the first goal was a surprise, the second was a shock to the visitors' backline. Young goalkeeper Ter Stegen made a serious mistake in judgment, allowing the shortest player on the field, Verratti, to head the ball successfully without having to jump high.

In between was Messi's equalizer, after a combination with Andres Iniesta in the penalty area. This was Barca's 500th goal in the Champions League and Messi's first in the competition after three scoreless matches.

Making two mistakes in a top match made Barca no longer themselves. On the other hand, leading twice and receiving the support of the home crowd, PSG confidently played themselves. They even almost raised the score to 3-1 at the end of the first half with a delicious finish from Cavani.

Maintaining the pressure until the beginning of the second half, PSG received a worthy gift. Van der Wiel crossed the ball over the Barca defense for Matuidi to easily score the third goal for the French team with a close-range volley.

It was not until this goal that Barca truly woke up. Neymar reduced the score to 2-3 with a smart finish in the 56th minute.

But the visitors' rise could not overcome PSG's luck. When Jordi Alba shot close to the goal in a one-on-one situation, defender Marquinhos rushed back to save the French team from conceding a goal. Not long after, Munir El Haddadi fired a powerful shot that hit the PSG post and went wide.

Having not lost a home game in European competition since November 2006, PSG successfully defended their 3-2 victory. After this match, Laurent Blanc's team directly took the top spot from Barca thanks to the head-to-head record. Barca ranked second because Ajax and Apoel drew 1-1 in the same match.

Result: PSG 3-2 Barca

Goals: David Luiz 10', Verratti 26', Matuidi 54' - Messi 12', Neymar 56'

Lineup.

The VnExpress.net