With two goals from Kylian Mbappe, Paris Saint-Germain overcame a 10-man FC Barcelona team 4-1 to secure a 6-4 aggregate victory on Tuesday and go to the Champions League quarter finals.
Barcelona took the lead through an early goal from Raphinha, but PSG rallied after Ronald Araujo's red card in the 29th minute. The Spanish champions had led by two goals after winning the first leg of the quarterfinals 3-2.
The match was leveled for PSG by Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha, and they advanced to the semifinals for the very first time since 2021 thanks to a brace from the lethal Mbappe. Despite significant investment, the French champions failed to bring home the Cup, but they have shown they possess the attacking players on their team to succeed.
Five-time UCL winners Barcelona was hoping to make it back to the semifinals for the first time since 2019, but their hopes of winning the match were dashed by Araujo's red card for bringing down the unrelenting Bradley Barcola.
After a first-leg loss, PSG manager Luis Enrique, who guided Barca towards the 2015 Champions League, expressed confidence in his team's ability to turn things around, and it did. The hosts got the lead, but the visitors had a strong start and forced Barcelona back into their own zone. Despite Achraf Hakimi's pressure, 16-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal blasted past Nuno Mendes and passed to the near post, where Raphinha turned home. Following his brace in Paris, it was the Brazilian winger's third goal of the match.
French superstar Kylian Mbappe speaks on PSG exit
The future plans of Kylian Mbappe is still one of the hottest takes in football currently but the Frenchman has ensured that he will leave PSG at the end of the season. The reporters questioned the attacker about his plans if the French side lifted the UEFA Champions League this season.
Kylian Mbappe said, “No, no, no. I’m proud to wear PSG as I'm Parisien. I dream to win Champions League with PSG, we will try to go to Wembley”.
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