Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 in the Champions League after the visitors twice drew level. Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz scored the decisive goals, ending Barcelona’s run of 11 wins to start the season. Both teams also lost players to injury, with Ousmane Dembélé, Dani Olmo and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia leaving the match.
Sports··Morning
Barcelona’s unbeaten start ends in Paris
Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona in their third Champions League match of the season. The defending European champions won at home against opponents who had arrived with a perfect record.[1], [2]
The 4-2 result ended Barcelona’s sequence of 11 victories. The visitors twice recovered from falling behind, but goals from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz secured the win for PSG. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick now has the season’s first Clasico against Real Madrid on the domestic schedule at the weekend.[1]
Vitinha and Ruiz settle a six-goal contest
Désiré Doué opened the scoring after an error from Lamine Yamal. Xavi Espart brought Barcelona level, before Lucas Hernandez headed the hosts back into the lead. Yamal then scored from a tight angle to draw the visitors level for the second time. PSG recovered the advantage through Vitinha’s shot from outside the penalty area, and Ruiz finished from close range to open a two-goal margin.[1]
Both teams also created chances that did not become goals. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck the post early on. Barcelona goalkeeper Garcia saved efforts from Ousmane Dembélé and Doué. Ferran Torres missed an opportunity from close range and later hit the post, while PSG goalkeeper Safonov kept out a Fermin effort.[1]
Injuries interrupt both teams’ plans
Dembélé left the field in the first half with a suspected hamstring problem. Barcelona also lost Dani Olmo before the interval, and Kvaratskhelia went off injured in the second half. The match therefore left both sides with injury concerns as well as its six-goal result.[1]
Barcelona forward Anthony Gordon credited PSG with sustaining their pressure and intensity for longer than the visitors. He considered the hosts deserving winners while also finding positive elements in Barcelona’s performance. Gordon said PSG had set the level others were trying to reach over the previous two years and that Barcelona could use the match to identify areas for improvement.[1]
