Lionel Messi scored one dazzling goal however then had a penalty saved as Barcelona fizzled in their endeavor to create a subsequent Champions League rebound for the ages against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, a 1-1 draw taking the French side through to the quarter-finals 5-2 on total. Kylian Mbappe got a cap stunt as PSG shocked Barca 4-1 in the primary leg a month ago, and he broadened their benefit in this last-16 tie by mesh a first-half penalty in the second leg to put last season’s runners-up ahead on the night.
In any case, Messi made it 1-1 with a fierce strike from 30 meters and the Argentine got the opportunity to put the guests ahead after Antoine Griezmann was fouled nearby, just for the remarkable Keylor Navas to tip his spot-kick onto the bar.
Barcelona unquestionably pulled out all the stops, however there was to be no rehash of their notorious recuperation against similar rivals four years prior, when they lost the first leg 4-0 but triumphed 6-1 in the return.
It is the first occasion when they have gone out before the quarter-finals since 2007 and, after Juventus were taken out on Tuesday, neither Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo will include in the last eight interestingly since 2005.
Barcelona mentor Ronald Koeman can in any case be empowered by the manner in which his group played on a cool, wet and breezy night at a void Parc des Princes.
“We are out, and that is what counts in our sport, but we can feel good about it because we had chances to make life difficult for our opponents,” Koeman told Movistar Plus.
“We deserved more, and things could have been different had it been 2-1 at half-time.”
Barcelona have been a club in emergency for quite a while yet they have another president in Joan Laporta, who will would like to reestablish quiet at meeting room level, and they can in any case expect to complete the season firmly locally.
Then PSG are securely through to the quarter-finals as they hope to up the ante than last season and win the Champions League interestingly.
They will feel this tie denotes another progression forward in their journey to turn into Europe’s prevailing power, after three losses at Barcelona’s hands in knockout ties since the Qatar Sports Investments takeover of 10 years prior.
– Mbappe’s tie, Navas’ evening –
Victory was achieved despite Neymar missing both legs due to injury, with Mbappe providing enough stardust on his own.
However in the wake of illuminating the first leg, the French World Cup champ tracked down the going harder in the return, and mentor Mauricio Pochettino will confront a few inquiries concerning his side’s methodology.
“We are in the quarter-finals and we are very happy,” he told RMC Sport, adding: “Sometimes in football you need to be prepared to suffer.”
There were nerves, with Barcelona overwhelming nearly right from the start and wasting significantly more than one possibility in the initial half-hour.
Helpless dynamic from Ousmane Dembele didn’t help the away side, despite the fact that he likewise saw one ball across the essence of objective simply get away from the outstretched leg of Messi.
As an offhand firecrackers show broke out right external the arena, Navas at that point created his initial eminent save halfway through the main half when he turned Sergino Dest’s shot onto the woodwork, and it was contrary to the rules that PSG went on.
Lenient Lenglet got the impact point of Mauro Icardi nearby in the 28th moment, a foul that was practically imperceptible on first survey yet was affirmed by English ref Anthony Taylor after a VAR audit.
Mbappe scored from the spot for his fourth objective in the tie and his 26th of the period.
Barcelona continued coming however, and Messi leveled with a shot from range that resembled a tracer slug that whistled into the top corner, not the sort of objective he scores regularly.
It was his 25th this season, and he might have scored again in first-half stoppage time as Layvin Kurzawa was punished for getting Griezmann in the crate.
Nonetheless, Messi was denied by Navas, the previous Real Madrid goalkeeper drenching Barcelona’s expectations as he kept on doing in the subsequent half.
“Navas had a brilliant game. He is a world-class goalkeeper and you saw that tonight,” said Pochettino.
