Paris Saint-Germain have taken a big step towards the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-1 victory on Tuesday in Barcelona. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and Moise Kean added one when Mauricio Pochettino’s men came from a goal to punish Ronald Koeman’s cracking defense.
It was a haunting first half of football as both sides found the back of the net and created chances they could not dare. Barca continued with a perfect Lionel Messi penalty after Layvin Kurzawa was ruled to have landed Antoine Griezmann in the penalty area, but PSG were beaten back by Mbappe who shot high past Marc-Andre ter Stegen from a sublime Marco Verratti- assist.
Both sides sometimes had luck with PSG, fortunately Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele were not sharper in front of goal. Idrissa Gueye was particularly fortunate not to pick up a second yellow card after a thoroughbred opening 45 minutes, but Verratti’s velcro and impeccable timing made him the absolute star of the show at Camp Nou.
PSG turned the screw in the second half and flew out of the blocks looking for a second goal and needed 20 minutes to get it when Alessandro Florenzi’s ball fell on him to hit home. However, Kean’s goal took less time to get with the Italians on their way to a Leandro Paredes free-kick delivery five minutes later. Ter Stegen did what he could in the second half, but his defense left him desolate when Mbappe curled the ball majestically outside him to complete his hat-trick five minutes before time after substitute Julian Draxler put him on a famous night for Les Parisians built up.