A late goal from Goncalo Ramos saw PSG defeat Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening.
The attacking threat of both sides was obvious in the early stages of the match as they both had some decent chances, however, in the 15th minute, Barcelona had the first big chance of the match, and if it wasn't for a heroic goal-line clearance from Ilya Zabarnyi, the hosts would've taken the lead. Lamine Yamal played an outrageous through ball with the outside of his foot to Ferran Torres, who rounded the goalkeeper and looked like he had an open goal to aim for, but the Ukrainian got back to save his side and keep the match level.
Just minutes after having his effort cleared off the line, Torres scored to give Barcelona a 1-0 lead. Just like his chance just before scoring, the move was incredibly well-worked, and Marcus Rashford had a huge part to play in it. The Englishman had the ball played into him just outside the Paris Saint-Germain penalty area in the wide left area, and he played a picture-perfect first-time pass across the box to Torres, who slotted his finish into the bottom left corner.
Although Barcelona were the team which looked in control of the match and were creating the better chances, in the 38th minute, PSG equalised through Senny Mayulu. The 19-year-old was fed the ball by Nuno Mendes, who went on a charging run up the pitch, and despite a desperate stretch to intercept the ball by Pau Cubarsi, it fell to Mayulu, who calmly slotted his finish past Wojciech Szczesny to level things up.
Shortly after scoring the equaliser, PSG almost took the lead through Bradley Barcola, but the winger fired his shot over the bar when he probably should've scored.
The first half came to a close with the match tied 1-1.
Although Barcelona controlled most of the first half, PSG came out for the second half flying and looked dangerous right from the off. The visitors worked the ball into Barcelona's box very well on several occasions, but a mixture of Szczesny staying strong and themselves lacking that end product prevented them from finding the equalising goal.
In the 83rd minute, PSG were just inches away from completing their comeback, but Kang-In Lee's shot fired off the post. The South Korean, who had only been on the pitch for a matter of minutes, did well to cut inside on his left foot, and his shot seemed destined to nestle into the back of the net, but it smashed off the post instead and the match remained 1-1.
PSG continued to pile on the pressure after Lee's close effort, and in the 90th minute, Goncalo Ramos scored to give them a 2-1 lead. Barcelona were playing a really high line and PSG capitalised on that, as Achraf Hakimi broke through on goal and played in Ramos, who calmly slotted his finish past the goalkeeper to surely secure all three points for PSG.
Ramos' dramatic goal was the last action of the match, and PSG took all three points with a 2-1 victory.
Barcelona 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain - Match Statistics
Barcelona
47
12
3
4
5
4
Match Highlights
Barcelona Player Ratings
Lamine Yamal and Nuno Mendes battling in the UEFA Champions League
GK: Wojciech Szczesny - 7/10
Produced some very important saves throughout the match and was never really asked to do much in possession of the ball.
RB: Jules Kounde - 5.5/10
Really struggled to deal with Barcola throughout the match, and if it wasn't for his poor finishing, his poor defending would've been costly.
CB: Eric Garcia - 7.5/10
Good with the ball at his feet and produced some important defensive actions when his side were under pressure.
CB: Pau Cubarsi - 7/10
Could've done better for Mayulu's goal, but the youngster redeemed himself well and went on to put in a good performance both in and out of possession.
LB: Gerard Martin - 6.5/10
Faultless in possession of the ball, but was second best in his battle with Mbaye.
CM: Frenkie de Jong - 6.5/10
Arguably lucky to have stayed on the pitch after a bad tackle on Mendes. The Dutchman was safe in possession, but seemed to struggle with the pace of the match at times.
CM: Pedri - 7.5/10
Hardly gave the ball away and was brilliant defensively when called into action.
AM: Dani Olmo - 6.5/10
Had a few tidy moments in and around PSG's box, but didn't really create anything of any note.
RW: Lamine Yamal - 8/10
On paper, Yamal had a tough night ahead of him against Mendes, but he put in a terrific performance. The 18-year-old relentlessly ran at Mendes all evening, getting the better of him on most occasions, and he also probably should've had an assist to his name, but a brilliant goal-line clearance from Zabarnyi stopped that.
ST: Ferran Torres - 8/10
A real nuisance in the final third. Torres' movement really frustrated the PSG defenders at times, and he took his goal very well, but could've and probably should've had a second.
LW: Marcus Rashford - 8.5/10 (Man of the Match)
A superb performance by Barcelona's summer signing. Rashford regularly showcased his skill and blistering pace and provided a superb assist for Torres' goal.
SUB: Robert Lewandowski - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Marc Casado - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Alejandro Balde - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Marc Bernal - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Andreas Christensen - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
Paris Saint-Germain Player Ratings
Senny Mayulu celebrating after scoring for PSG against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League
GK: Lucas Chevalier - 6.5/10
Didn't have a save to make, and he also wasn't asked to do much with the ball at his feet.
RB: Achraf Hakimi - 7.5/10
Struggled defensively against Rashford, but was excellent going forward, providing an assist for Ramos' winning goal.
CB: Ilya Zabarnyi - 8/10
Produced a heroic goal-line clearance in the first half and put in a very good defensive display. Even when he had to come out and defend against Rashford, Zabarnyi did well and was rarely beaten.
CB: Willian Pacho - 7.5/10
Good with the ball at his feet and never really put a foot wrong defensively.
LB: Nuno Mendes - 7/10
Had a really tough night up against Yamal. Mendes struggled defensively, but going forward, he had a big impact and managed to assist Mayulu's goal.
CM: Vitinha - 8/10
Had a slow first half, but arguably ran the show in the second. Vitinha controlled the pace of the match on the ball in the second half, but was also defensively brilliant and worked his socks off.
CM: Fabian Ruiz - 6.5/10
Worked hard in the middle of the park, but didn't really produce anything noteworthy either offensively or defensively.
CM: Warren Zaire-Emery - 6.5/10
Wasn't asked to do as much as his midfield partners, but Zaire-Emery didn't really put a foot wrong despite never really getting into the match.
RW: Ibrahim Mbaye - 7/10
Threatened down the right wing several times with his pace and skill. The youngster was brought off after 65 minutes despite putting in a lively performance.
ST: Senny Mayulu - 8/10
The youngster took his goal very well and was a nuisance for the Barcelona defence to deal with due to his pace and directness.
LW: Bradley Barcola - 6.5/10
Provided a real attacking threat with his pace and dribbling, but squandered some really good opportunities with his poor finishing.
SUB: Lucas Hernandez - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.
SUB: Goncalo Ramos - 8/10
Match winner. Ramos may have only had a short time on the pitch, but he made his time count, scoring the winning goal for PSG.
SUB: Kang-In Lee - N/A
Looked a real threat instantly after coming on and almost scored a brilliant goal, but was denied by the woodwork.
SUB: Quentin Ndjantou - N/A
Didn't do much after coming on.