This past Thursday night, Barcelona traveled to the French capital to take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The Catalans went into the fixture with the odds heavily favoring them to win, with many bookmakers offering 11/8 (or 7/4) odds in Paris’s favor. Knowing how important this game was for both teams, it was no surprise that the majority of the tickets were sold out. Barcelona dominated the first half and were fortunate to go into the break at 2-0 up. The visitors pulled a goal back before halftime but it didn’t matter as Barcelona kept their cool in the second half and added another two goals to secure a 4-1 win and progress to the quarterfinals!
Although the scoreline wasn’t as flattering as Barcelona would have liked, the Catalans can still feel quite happy with their performance in Paris. It was their most successful ever visit to the French capital and, most notably, it was the first time that they had ever beaten Paris Saint-Germain in a competitive fixture. Given that this is a side that Barcelona have historically struggled against, the result was undoubtedly a huge boost for the Catalans. And it wasn’t just the win itself that gave Barcelona a lift, it was the fact that they were able to do so at such a high-stakes event. Going into the match, the odds were heavily stacked in favor of the home side and it showed in the betting markets, with many online bookmakers offering odds as low as 2/5 (or 3/1) for Barcelona to win. Despite those extremely slim odds, the Catalans still managed to upset the odds and win by an impressive margin, with many online casinos being more than generous with their bets on Barcelona to emerge victorious.
Barcelona Keep Their Cool
Although it was an impressive win for Barcelona, it wasn’t all plain sailing. As well as missing out on the services of Lionel Messi, the Catalans also had to face some tough criticism from fans and pundits after falling behind early on. It started with a goal from Kylian Mbappe just 59 seconds into the game and though the scoreline wasn’t enough to indicate that Paris were that much better than Barcelona, it certainly wasn’t a good start. From that point onwards, it was mostly uphill battle for the Catalans as they fell behind in the game with just six minutes gone. It was clear that the home side were pumped up for the big game and it showed in the way that they played, with a lot of unnecessary roughness and an aggressive attitude. This resulted in them missing out on the services of Ousmane Dembélé for the rest of the game and, if one of the first goals didn’t prove enough, the red card that Thomas Meunier received for an offense that was entirely accidental should have sealed the deal.
Where Was Messi?
If there’s one area that Barcelona were extremely unlucky not to have their star player in, it was in the goal area. Outside of the first goal, in which he was controversially deemed offside before scoring, Messi didn’t have a shot on target for the entire game! Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had an eventful game, fumbling a Luis Suárez shot in the first half and parrying a shot from Lionel Messi in the second half, denying the Argentine a clear goal-scoring opportunity. The goalkeepers were probably the standouts of the game, with Areola looking particularly impressive in the French capital. He made a string of superb saves throughout the game, including an incredible triple-stop from a Neymar free kick and two strong stops from a Suárez shot. While he didn’t have much success with his head, Areola’s feet were solid as he kept out all the goals from Barcelona.
Why Wasn’t Neymar Subbed Out Early On?
Neymar is one of the best players in the world and it’s easy to see why Barcelona chose to bring him along for the trip to Paris. The first-team players were understandably pumped up for the big game and it showed in the commitment that they had. With eight minutes gone, the team were still fully committed to the match and it showed in the number of players actively involved in the attack. Barcelona’s willingness to attack quickly left them open to the counter-attack and it was Kylian Mbappe who capitalized, scoring his team’s first goal just three minutes later. With the score already level, it was easy for Paris to sit back and regroup while Barcelona pressed for an equalizer. Perhaps with the advantage of an extra day of recovery, the two clubs could have pulled off something special given the amount of quality football that was on display but, for now, it was simply a case of both teams going through the motions. Barcelona will be disappointed not to have won by more but the trip to Paris was another important step forward for a team that is undoubtedly heading in the right direction.