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Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz strike late as PSG beat Barcelona 4-2 in Paris
Six goals, four in the last 18 minutes, at the Parc des Princes. PSG stay top of the Champions League table with three wins out of three, but lost Ousmane Dembele to injury early on.
Key points
- PSG beat Barcelona 4-2 with goals from Doue, Lucas Hernandez, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz.
- Lamine Yamal made it 2-2 in the 79th minute before PSG scored twice in six minutes.
- PSG top the table after three wins from three; Barcelona slip to fifth.
Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona produced the game of the Champions League night at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, and it was the European champions who had the stronger finish. With the score 2-2 and 10 minutes left, Vitinha drove in a shot from just outside the box and Fabian Ruiz added a fourth from close range, sending PSG to a 4-2 win.
It was PSG’s third win in three league-phase games and keeps them top of the table. Barcelona, who had also won their first two, dropped to fifth.
The match went ahead after France’s interior minister confirmed on Monday that it would be played as planned, despite the violent unrest in the country.
How the game turned
PSG started at a gallop. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the post inside two minutes, and Ferran Torres, facing the club he left in the summer, later struck the woodwork too. Torres was only on the pitch because Ousmane Dembele had gone off after about 20 minutes, reported to be a hamstring problem.
The opener came in the 38th minute from a Barcelona mistake. Lamine Yamal lost the ball in his own half and Desire Doue scored.
Barcelona were level 10 minutes after the restart through Xavi Espart, only the second senior goal of his career. PSG went ahead again in the 72nd minute when Lucas Hernandez headed in from a corner, and Barcelona hit back once more in the 79th, when Warren Zaire-Emery was caught under a high ball and Yamal pounced.
Then came the decisive burst. Vitinha’s strike in the 81st minute put PSG 3-2 up, and Fabian Ruiz settled it four minutes from time.
The cost for both sides
The win stretched PSG’s run to seven straight victories across Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and followed their 4-2 win at Manchester City the week before. But Luis Enrique’s side finished the night counting the cost. Dembele and Kvaratskhelia both went off hurt, and the extent of their injuries was not known.
Barcelona lost Dani Olmo to injury as well, an awkward blow for Hansi Flick with a Clasico against Real Madrid in La Liga on Sunday.
What comes next
There are five league-phase games left for both clubs before the phase ends on 27 January. The top eight go straight into the last 16, and the next 16 enter a play-off round. On this evidence, both remain well placed.