Barcelona vs PSG

The UEFA Champions League, originally known as the European Cup, was founded in 1955 to determine the best football club in Europe. In 1992, they renamed it to what we know it as and added a group stage so more teams could participate. Since then, many clubs have left their mark, with Real Madrid being the most prominent team, having won 15 titles, the most in the tournament's history. Today, the Champions League is the pinnacle of club football, where the world’s greatest players participate and millions of others dream of playing in.

Last week, FC Barcelona and current European champions Paris Saint-Germain faced each other in the Champions League group stage to see who would finish in the top three of the table.

Barcelona and PSG are one of modern football’s greatest rivalries, with it having produced some of the Champions League’s greatest matches in its history. Barcelona famously defeated them twice in 2013 and 2015, showcasing their dominance in the Messi-Suarez-Neymar era.

However, in 2017, they faced off again, with the two teams showing us what arguably was the greatest Champions League match of all time. In the first leg at the Parc de Prince, PSG dominated the match, with a shocking 4-0 win. In the second leg, Barcelona had 200-to-1 odds of winning the game, with almost every journalist saying that PSG would qualify for the next round with ease. However, Barcelona produced the historic “Remontada”, in which they won 6-1, with Neymar scoring a brace and assisting the winning goals, giving them a 6-5 win on aggregate. Then, in 2024, PSG knocked out Barcelona with a 6-4 win on aggregate, which gave Barcelona fans one of their biggest heartbreaks in the club’s recent history.

Barca Blaguranas

Their recent fixture was awaited by many, as it is a symbol of European football drama, with high stakes, star players, and unforgettable moments. Their latest game took place at Barcelona’s home stadium, the Estadí Olimpic. In the 19th minute, Ferran Torres opened the scoreline for Barcelona with a simple finish following a clean pass from Marcus Rashford. The game seemed to be going their way, but in the 38th minute, PSG youngster Senny Mayulu equalized the game after Nuno Mendes made a driving run past Barcelona’s midfield and defense, leaving the ball right outside the box. Mayulu held off Pau Cubarsía and coolly finished the chance with a calm shot past Wojciech Szczęsny. The game continued scoreless for the majority of the match, with Lamine Yamal causing trouble for Paris-Saint Germain’s defense for the duration of the game. However, in the final minute of the match, Hakimi drove the ball to the final third of the field and gave Gonçalo Ramos an easy goal, as he just had to tap it in the net, leaving Barcelona’s defensive high line exposed, and ending the game with a dramatic late winner. After fighting Barcelona in Spain for the third time in a row, an injury-plagued PSG was able to pull off a 2-1 win against the favorites for winning the Champions League.

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