Going into Tuesday's Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, there were questions surrounding both teams. Had Barca's defense improved enough to deal with the strong sides in Europe? Was PSG ready to take the next step from French champion to European contender? While it's a bit early to firmly answer the questions, we now have a pretty good idea of where these two teams are heading after PSG's 3-2 win over Barca.
Paris Saint-Germain vs. Barcelona final score: 3 things we learned from PSG’s defeat of the Blaugrana
The Parisians exposed Barca’s defense and sent a strong message with their victory over the Blaugrana
The Parisians played pretty well, especially on the attack, though to be fair Barca’s defense remains swiss cheesy to say the least. Still, without Zlatan Ibrahimović, PSG were able to use speed and set pieces to pick Barca apart. The defense looked susceptible a few times, but who doesn’t against the Blaugrana? Not having Thiago Silva in the lineup likely played a part in that. When it mattered though late in the match, when Barca were raining down pressure, the PSG defense was stellar.
For anyone who enjoys trivia, remember than David Luiz of PSG was the first player to score a goal against Barcelona during the 2014/15 season. The goal came in the 10th minute after Luiz brought down a long ball near the penalty spot, fighting off a tackle from Javier Mascherano as he turned and beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a low shot to the right.
The Barca response was quick and lethal as Lionel Messi pulled the visitors even at 1-1 less than two minutes after David Luiz's goal.Andrés Iniesta's run into the left side of the box drew two PSG defenders attention, leaving a pocket of space in front of goal. Iniesta found Messi making a late run and the Argentine striker did the rest.
Poor marking again on a set piece cost Barcelona in the 26th minute as PSG went back in front thanks to the head of Marco Verratti. Thiago’s Motta corner towards the far post setup the chance as Ivan Rakitić never saw Verratti sneak in behind him as ter Stegen made a desperate flailing attempt that couldn’t prevent the goal.
Things only got worse for Barca in the second half. PSG's superior wing speed continued to shred Barca's defense apart and in he 54th minute it led to yet another goal. Gregory Van der Wiel got free down the right and as Jordi Alba failed to close him down and sent a cross to the far post where Blaise Matuidi was waiting after getting in free behind Dani Alves. Matuidi directed the cross past ter Stegen and PSG was rolling.
Again Barca responded though as Neymar brought the match back to within a goal for the visitors just a minute or so later. Dani Alves lofted a high cross into the box that feel right to Neymar as three defenders collapsed around Messi who’d gone up looking to head the ball down. Neymar used the traffic in front of Salvatore Sirigu to beat him inside the far post, making it 3-2.
The final 15 minutes was about as wide open a football match as you’ll see in the Champions league. Barca pressed hard for the equalizer and PSG hit back at them on the counter attack every time the opportunity presented itself. Despite plenty of chances both ways, there were no more goals to be found.
PSG: Sirigu, Maxwell, David Luiz, Marquinhos, van der Wiel, Matuidi, Motta, Verratti (Cabaye 71’), Pastore (Chantome 86’), Cavani, Moura
Goals: David Luiz (10’), Verratti (26’), Matuidi (54’)
Barcelona: ter Stegen, Alba, Mathieu, Mascherano, Alves (Sandro 83’), Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitić (Xavi 69’), Neymar, Messi, Pedro (Munir 62’)
Goals: Messi (11’), Neymar (56’)
3 Things
1. Barcelona can be scored upon - It took awhile (seven games + 10 minutes) for the Barcelona defense to finally concede a goal, but it finally happened thanks to a lovely touch and finish from David Luiz. Perhaps when you have at least five players in the area, having Javier Mascherano defend Luiz one-on-on might not have been the best move. Even with the defenders soft touch to bring the ball down, a second Barca player could have broken up the chance.
2. Barcelona are still susceptible to set pieces and speed - Despite their strong start to the season, the lingering questions surround the Barca defense remained, largely because they’d hadn’t really played anyone of note yet. PSG was their first real test of the season and their defense failed miserably as PSG used their speed to pick apart the Blaugrana back line. Barca’s defense is better than last season, but they simply cannot deal with teams that can attack them with multiple speedy options who can move the ball around quickly.
3. PSG can score goals without Zlatan - Obviously Laurent Blanc will prefer having Zlatan on the pitch as much as possible, but he’ll have to feel good bout the face that his team put 3 goals past Barca with the big Swede sidelined. Marco Verratti used his head to score a goal, Blaise Mautidi and David Luiz both showed good footwork, they didn’t even need Edinson Cavani to score! Considering how much money they’ve spent, they should be able to score, but it’s still good to see if you’re a PSG fan.
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