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Paris Saint-Germain continued their impressive run in the UEFA Champions League with a 4-2 victory over Barcelona at the Parc des Princes, extending their unbeaten streak in the competition to 13 matches and handing the Spanish side their first defeat of the 2026-27 season.
Desire Doue, Lucas Hernandez, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz scored for PSG, who retained their position at the top of the Champions League standings with a perfect record. Barcelona found the net through Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal but were unable to prevent their opponents from claiming all three points. PSG began on the front foot, putting Barcelona under pressure from the opening whistle. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck the woodwork within the first five minutes, while Ousmane Dembele and Doue also tested goalkeeper Joan Garcia. Barcelona struggled to maintain possession in the early exchanges, and their problems were compounded when Dembele appeared to suffer a hamstring injury before the midway point of the first half, forcing him off the field. Ferran Torres came on as his replacement. The visitors gradually settled into the contest, with Matvey Safonov denying Raphinha from close range. At the other end, Garcia produced a string of saves to keep out Torres and Fabian Ruiz as PSG continued to threaten, as per the UCL website. However, the Barcelona goalkeeper was unable to stop Doue from breaking the deadlock shortly before half-time. The French forward fired a powerful, low effort into the bottom corner to give the hosts a deserved lead. Barcelona had an opportunity to equalise soon afterwards when Pedri sent Fermin Lopez through on goal, but the midfielder failed to beat Safonov in a one-on-one situation. The visitors emerged with greater purpose after the break, although Garcia was again called into action to deny PSG on a swift counter-attack. Barcelona eventually drew level through Espart, who marked his Champions League debut by racing through the PSG defence and finishing past Safonov to silence the home crowd. With injuries to Kvaratskhelia and Marquinhos disrupting PSG's rhythm, Barcelona began to gain control of the contest. Torres came close to putting the visitors ahead but struck the post from close range with 20 minutes remaining. PSG capitalised on the resulting corner, with Lucas Hernandez rising to head home and restore the hosts' advantage against the run of play. Barcelona responded once more as Yamal outpaced Warren Zaire-Emery and squeezed the ball past Safonov from a tight angle to make it 2-2 with 12 minutes left. The parity, however, lasted only two minutes. Vitinha restored PSG's lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the penalty area before Fabian Ruiz added a fourth goal late in the match to seal the victory. The result strengthened PSG's position at the top of the Champions League table, while Barcelona were left to reflect on another defensive setback. The Catalans have now gone 18 consecutive Champions League matches without keeping a clean sheet, an issue head coach Hansi Flick will need to address as they seek to establish themselves among the leading contenders for the European title. (ANI)
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