Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 2013 UEFA Champions League: Blaugrana come back to go through

The final 15 minutes of the first half were much less eventful than the first 30, as Barcelona began to settle in on both ends of the pitch. It appeared to be leading into a more controlled and composed second half performance from the Blaugrana, but they found themselves trailing on the night and in the tie just five minutes after the break.

Ultimately, their changes did nothing to help their cause, as Barcelona did well to hang on for a win. They looked like the more threatening of the two sides as the game wound down, comfortably holding on for a draw on the night and victory in the tie.

Of course it was Messi who was directly involved when Barcelona pulled back even in the 71st minute.

Javier Pastore nearly opened up a two-goal lead for Paris Saint-Germain in the 58th minute. Again it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting him up with the bass into the area, right to the waiting midfielder who made a mess of his effort, sending it wide of the post.

Less than 30 minutes left to play at the Camp Nou and PSG are in the driver’s seat.

Paris Saint-Germain has scored the goal that, honestly, they deserved, five minutes into the second half. Javier Pastore is the goal-scorer, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic deserves some credit for his work in the midfield to help create the chance.

Victor Valdés went down early and his momentum carried him along the ground and to the left, allowing Pastore to direct a shot back right that moved past Valdés desperate attempt to swat at the ball and found the back of the net.

Lucas Moura missed an excellent chance in the 18th minute after receiving the ball in a pocket of space thanks to a nice touch on from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The 20-year-old Brazilian’s shot was wild though, sailing over the crossbar.

PSG got their best chance of the game so far in the 24th minute after Zlatan found Ezequiel Lavezzi on the run into the Barca area. Adriano was right on Lavezzi’s hip but the striker still got a shot off that forced a nice save from Victor Valdés.

Lucas Moura missed an excellent chance in the 18th minute after receiving the ball in a pocket of space thanks to a nice touch on from Zlatan Ibrahmimovic. The 20-year-old Brazilian’s shot was wild though, sailing over the crossbar.

Valdés was called into action again in the 28th minute, denying Moura’s header off a brilliant cross from Zlatan on the left side.

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Is your head spinning yet?

Here’s the one thing we know for sure: he trained with the first team yesterday. Beyond that, we don’t know and neither does any other media outlet.

There are supporters of a variety of other teams currently throwing their breakfast, lunch or dinner (depending on your current location on the globe) at their computers over the ridiculous depth that Vilanova has to work with. I can sympathize, because the idea of a team being without the likely best player in the world and still in all likelihood being fine is mildly insane.

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All the headlines surrounding this Champions League quarterfinal second leg are centerting around the health of Barcelona’s biggest star and while it will affect the game, the real story of the match is at the other end of the pitch where Barcelona’s wounded defense must deal with PSG’s attack.

There’s no doubt that Messi not being in the lineup immediately changes the dynamics of the match and should be viewed as a positive for PSG. Anytime you remove a player the stature of Messi, it changes things dramatically. Even on a team with the depth of talent that Barca has, taking away Messi does affect them and puts pressure on other players to step up.

As the score stands, Barcelona will go through on away goals, having secured a 2-2 draw in France, which leaves PSG with the daunting prospect of needing to attack in the away leg. It could lead to an entertaining game, or it could leave the visitors being caught out early on - as ever, the first goal will go a long way to deciding the outcome.

The momentum is with Barcelona here, but the chance for PSG to pull off something remarkable is there regardless. Both of last night’s Quarter-Finals will have shown the visitors not to give up hope, after all.

In much the same way as Manchester United removing the words ‘Football Club’ from their crest coincided with the business becoming the first British club to transcend the mundanities of the actual sport, launching a global brand which continues to monetise anything good and holy, there’s probably no better way of summing up Paris Saint-Germain at the moment than what they’ve done to their own crest.

PSG’s editorial decision was also an omission, except this time it was to a number: 1970. The feeling, that the club was embarrassed by it’s comparatively recent date of foundation, encapsulates perfectly the plight of the Nouveau Riche. All the wealth in the world, but not having quite learned to speak proper, and now finding itself in something of an identity crisis as it struggles to command respect.