European champions PSG maintained their flawless start to their Champions League title defence with a 4-2 victory over Barcelona at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, according to VAVEL.com. Five of the match's six goals arrived after the break, four of them inside the closing 20 minutes. Fabián Ruiz completed the scoring in the 86th minute, turning in Achraf Hakimi's low cross with the goal at his mercy.
Why it matters
The result lifts Luis Enrique's side to the top of the league phase table with a 100% record, VAVEL.com reports. It also marks PSG's first home win over Barcelona since 2017 and extends their unbeaten run in the competition to 13 matches, a club record. For Hansi Flick's Barcelona, the night ends in defeat despite twice pulling level in a frantic second half.
Early pressure and an unwanted change
PSG nearly led inside two minutes. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck the post, and the rebound fell to former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembélé, who sent the ball wide of an open goal from five yards. An offside flag spared him, VAVEL.com reports.
The hosts kept pressing in the opening five minutes, with Dembélé and Désiré Doué both testing Joan Garcia from distance. Barcelona weathered that spell and created chances of their own: Gordon failed to convert from close range, and Dani Olmo dragged an effort just past the post.
PSG's plans were disrupted on 20 minutes when Dembélé pulled up while trying to break forward, forcing Luis Enrique to bring on Ferran Torres, another former Barcelona player. Four minutes later Torres was denied by Garcia after João Neves headed a deep pass across goal. Garcia made further saves from Torres either side of a Hakimi effort that was blocked.
The deadlock broke eight minutes before the interval. Doué curled a shot into the bottom corner for his fourth goal in five games.
Barcelona almost replied at once. Fermín López tried to force the ball past Matvey Safonov, but Willian Pacho intervened with his head and took a boot to the face from Fermín in the process. After Pacho received treatment, Raphinha came close to an equaliser, and Kvaratskhelia forced Garcia into a seventh save of the half.
Five goals after the break
PSG carried the pressure into the second half, with Hakimi again kept out by Garcia. Against the run of play, Barcelona levelled through an unlikely source: Xavi Espart broke through the home defence and drove the ball past Safonov on 55 minutes.
Torres then passed up another chance to restore PSG's lead. Hakimi checked his run and squared the ball across goal, but Torres's deflected strike came back off the post. From the resulting corner, Lucas Hernández headed PSG back in front with 18 minutes remaining.
That advantage lasted only until the 79th minute. Lamine Yamal, who had just come on for Hernández, went past Warren Zaïre-Emery with ease and toe-poked the ball into the roof of the net.
PSG responded within two minutes. Vitinha met a loose ball on the edge of the area and drove a half-volley into the bottom right corner to make it 3-2.
The holders made sure of the points four minutes from time. Hakimi delivered low across the box and Fabián Ruiz converted into an empty net.
What to watch
PSG will look to protect their perfect league-phase record and their place at the top of the table in their next European outing, while Barcelona must regroup from a second-half collapse that undid two equalisers.
