In the most hotly anticipated match of this season's Champions League so far, Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 2-1 on Wednesday night. The two teams faced off in front of over 50,000 fans and goals from Senny Mayulu and Goncalo Ramos cancelled out Ferran Torres' opener to give the French side the victory and the three points.
It was a disappointing night for the Catalan side. For the most part, they've been excellent this season and one man who has made a significant contribution already is Marcus Rashford. The Englishman joined Barcelona on loan this summer from Manchester United and while there have been a few hiccoughs already, such as being dropped from the side as a result of being late for training, he's stepped up on the pitch.
After his side were beaten by PSG on Wednesday, the Spanish media had a lot to say about Rashford's performance against the Ligue 1 champions.
Marcus Rashford vs PSG
Rashford has already played the hero for Barcelona in Europe following his arrival. He scored a brace during their victory over Newcastle United in their Champions League opener last month and he stepped up again early against PSG, setting up Torres for his team's opener.
The assist was his third in as many games, but it wasn't enough to bag his team the win. Despite the loss, though, the Spanish media have spoken highly of Rashford's performance. AS, as quoted by the Manchester Evening News, described his showing as 'very dynamic and active on the left flank'. Mundo Deportivo also praised him, addressing his assist tally since moving to Catalonia, but claimed that he had slowed down considerably by the time he was replaced in the 72nd minute. They said:
"Another assist from the Englishman, his fifth since joining Barça. His tense, low assist was the prelude to Ferran's 1-0. He made another dangerous run that only needed the finishing touch. He faded before being substituted."
El Des Marque rated him 7.5 out of 10, giving him one of the highest ratings of anyone on the Barcelona team and, as quoted by Manchester Evening News, said: "Rashford continues his good assist streak, today with the first assist for Ferran Torres. He made several dangerous plays with dribbles and crosses and didn't stop trying until his substitution."