UEFA Champions League | Paris Saint Germain 4 – Barcelona 0
Paris Saint Germain managed to put themselves in an excellent position after registering a comfortable 4-0 win against Barcelona.
PSG made an exceptional start to the match and were close to open the score on the 5th minute. Edison Cavani received the ball inside the penalty area and hit a shot aimed at the near corner. However, Sergi Roberto managed block his effort.
The French team kept pushing forward and were denied by Ter Stegen on the 11th minute. Adrien Rabiot went on a good run in the middle of the pitch before sending a cross towards Blaise Matuidi. The PSG captain for the night managed to fire a strong shot that forced a good save from the Barcelona goalkeeper.
Deservedly, PSG went ahead on the 18th minute. From a free kick, Angel Di Maria hit a stunning shot that gave Ter Stegen no chance.
Three minutes later, Cavani tried his luck from distance, but his shot was neutralised by Ter Stegen.
Barcelona replied on the 27th minute. Neymar served Messi and the latter delivered the ball towards Andre Gomes inside the penalty area. However, the Portuguese saw his shot being blocked by Kevin Trapp.
On the 33rd minute, PSG were dangerous once more. Julian Draxler went inside the penalty area and sent a shot that forced another good save from the Barcelona shot stopper.
The French champions increased the margin of the score on the 40th minute. Marco Verratti went forward and released Draxler on the right. The German made no mistake with the finish as he smashed a strong shot that ended up in the corner of the net.
Three minutes into the second half, Cavani sent a cross towards Matuidi who headed over.
PSG scored their third goal on the 55th minute. Angel Di Maria went past Jordi Alba and sent a stunning shot from outside the penalty area that ended up in the net.
Cavani added another one for PSG on the 71st minute. Thomas Meunier went through a huge chunk of the midfield completely unopposed by any Barcelona player before finding Cavani. The former Napoli man lashed an emphatic finish into Ter Stegen’s near post to make it 4-0.
Barcelona troubled the PSG defence on the 80th minute through Neymar. Following a string of passes between Neymar, Suarez and Messi, it was the Brazilian who sent a shot that ended up slightly wide.
Two minutes later, Barcelona were denied by the post. Following a corner, Gerard Pique jumped high to send the ball inside the penalty area. Samuel Umtiti managed to get on the end of it, but saw his effort hitting the inside of the post.
Benfica 1 – Borussia Dortmund 0
Meanwhile, in Portugal, Konstantinos Mitroglou’s strike on the 67th minute earned Benfica a narrow 1-0 win over Borussia Dortmund as everything remains wide open.