3 things we learned from Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-0 demolition of Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain turned in one of the great Champions League performances of recent times on Tuesday, emphatically beating Barcelona 4-0 at the Parc des Princes. A brace from Ángel Di María and goals from both Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani ensured only a second leg catastrophe will prevent the French champions from progressing into the quarterfinals.

PSG dominated the game from the first whistle, and a scampering Sergi Roberto had to prevent Cavani from testing Marc-André ter Stegen at the near post in the sixth minute. Five minutes later Blaise Matuidi was sent charging through, and his powerful prod required a strong touch from the keeper.

The hosts intimidated their visitors with some excellent pressing, and doubtless deserved the advantage when it arrived in the 18th minute. Draxler was tripped on the edge of the penalty area by Samuel Umtiti, affording Di María the chance to step up and curl the ball into ter Stegen’s top corner. The Argentine needed no second invitation, capping an excellent start in fine fashion.

PSG sunk deeper as the first half wore on, affording Barça ever more time in possession, though in fine testament to their defensive discipline, Unai Emery’s side never seemed to lose their control. Only once in the opening period did the visitors get a glimpse of Kevin Trapp’s goal, though André Gomes saw his low drive turned behind at the near post after some excellent assist play from Neymar.

PSG’s more patient approach didn’t lessen their attacking edge, and they twice went close on the counterattack before doubling their lead five minutes before halftime. The excellent Adrien Rabiot nicked the ball from Lionel Messi in midfield and offloaded possession to his counterpart Marco Verratti, who promptly drove forward and slid Draxler through on goal. The former Wolfsburg man made no mistake from close range, slotting home on his first Champions League appearance in a PSG shirt.

Barça hoped to regroup and reorganize at halftime, though were as ragged early in the second half as they were in the first. A fantastic third PSG goal arrived just 10 minutes after the restart. Di María was afforded far too much space on the edge of the opposition penalty area, and duly arced a shot beyond a helpless ter Stegen. Things were startlingly easy for the hosts.

When Verratti and Di María were subsequently withdrawn, home supporters may have been worried about the prospect of Barça working their way back into the match. They needn’t have had any such concerns. Inside the final 20 minutes, Cavani capped a glorious night with his side’s fourth, capitalizing on some fine work from Thomas Meunier down the right. It completed a total humiliation for Barcelona, who saw insult added to injury in the final few minutes when Umititi headed against the post from point-blank range.

Paris Saint-Germain: Kevin Trapp; Layvin Kurzawa, Presnel Kimpembe, Marquinhos, Thomas Meunier; Adrien Rabiot, Marco Verratti (Christopher Nkunku 70’); Julian Draxler (Javier Pastore 76’), Blaise Matuidi, Ángel Di María (Lucas Moura 61’); Edinson Cavani.

Goals: Di María (18’, 55’), Draxler (40’), Cavani (71’).

Barcelona: Marc-André ter Stegen; Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti, Gerard Piqué, Sergi Roberto; André Gomes (Rafinha 58’), Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta (Ivan Rakitić 73’); Neymar, Luis Suárez, Lionel Messi.

Goals: None.

PSG made a worryingly slow start to life under coach Unai Emery, who replaced Laurent Blanc in the summer. However, the energy that characterized the Spaniard’s enormously successful Sevilla side is finally in evidence at the Parc des Princes, and they’re reaping the rewards. Barça struggled to cope with their opponents’ high pressing in the first few minutes, and PSG had no trouble adapting to a more counterattacking strategy as the game wore on. It was a perfect demonstration of game management from the hosts, who’ll certainly be confident heading into the second leg at Camp Nou. Perhaps for the first time, the French side are now looking genuinely like a side that could win the Champions League.

Though there were no real surprises in Barça’s team selection, there certainly was one in how they set up. Instead of Lionel Messi starting out on the right of a front three, the Argentine instead played just behind center-forward Luis Suárez, with André Gomes given the task of shuttling between central midfield and the right flank depending on whether Barça had possession. It was a very peculiar decision from Luis Enrique, and one that — needless to say — didn’t pay off. Neither Suárez nor Messi did much defensively, allowing PSG to easily build out from the back and stretch Barça’s strained midfield by sheer weight of attacking numbers. The Catalans lacked their usual balance, and it’d be a surprise if we saw such a strategy adopted again in the second leg.

Though it was an all-round excellent performance from PSG’s midfield, the real star of the show was young Frenchman Adrien Rabiot. Having spent a long while in the French side’s reserves, Rabiot used to be frequently linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes. However, in this match he turned in a performance of Paul Pogbaesque proportions, adding creativity to PSG’s attack and steel to their defence. His wiry frame is backed up by impressive physical strength, and given he’s still only 21 years old, it’s looking increasingly like he’s going to establish himself as one of the world’s top midfielders in the not-too-distant future.