Barcelona 1-4 Paris St-Germain: Kylian Mbappe hat-trick after Lionel Messi opener
Barcelona #Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe became only the third player to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe scored a stunning hat-trick as Paris St-Germain ripped Barcelona apart in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Nou Camp.
The night did not start well for last year’s runners-up when they fell behind to Lionel Messi’s 27th-minute penalty.
Messi, regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, was then upstaged on his own turf by France World Cup winner Mbappe as PSG ruthlessly exposed the hosts.
Mbappe danced past Clement Lenglet and smashed in the equaliser before stroking home from 10 yards to turn the game around.
On-loan Everton striker Moise Kean continued his resurgence by heading in unchallenged at the far post to put the Ligue 1 champions in control of the tie.
With Barca looking to pull a goal back, they were caught on the counter-attack and Mbappe curled in the goal of the night with his third.
The second leg takes place on 20 March in Paris, by which time PSG hope to have Neymar back from a thigh injury to face his former side.
Magnificent Mbappe steals the show
Champions League meetings between European heavyweights can often be tense, nervy encounters but this was a thrilling end-to-end clash which will live long in the memory as Mbappe took home the match ball.
The 22-year-old fell agonisingly short last season when they were beaten in the final by Bayern Munich, and the Ligue 1 champions will take some stopping again under Mauricio Pochettino.
Sacked by Tottenham in November 2019, just five months after reaching the final of this competition, Pochettino looks to be moulding a side that will be considered strong contenders led by the brilliant Mbappe.
He had netted just one goal in nine knockout games for PSG before this game, but reversed that statistic in cold-blooded fashion.
The former Monaco forward became only the third player, after Faustino Asprilla and Andrei Shevchenko, to score a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona.
He took his first majestically, trapping Marco Verratti’s delightful flick before ghosting past compatriot Lenglet and firing an unstoppable finish past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
The second was a poacher’s finish from 10 yards after the Barca goalkeeper parried the ball back into the danger area but he saved his best until last, curling in a first-time finish to stun the home side.
They should have had more but for Ter Stegen, who made superb saves to deny Layvin Kurzawa and Kean twice, but the Italian striker did find the net with a header on 70 minutes.
Though in command, PSG will know the tie is not over having been on the wrong end of a Barcelona comeback when the sides met at this stage in 2016-17, Luis Enrique’s men turning around a 4-0 deficit to win the return leg 6-1 with three late goals.
Dembele’s miss proves pivotal
Riddled with debt and uncertainty surrounding the future of star man Messi, as well as presidential elections coming up next month, Barcelona were well beaten by their more sprightly and effervescent opponents.
Messi gave them the perfect start by converting a penalty after Frenkie de Jong was tripped in the box but it was all downhill thereafter.
They will look to a bad miss from Ousmane Dembele at 1-0, striking a weak effort straight at Keylor Navas from 10 yards out, as the turning point in the game.
Had that gone in it may well have been a tighter scoreline, and with Antoine Griezmann also missing from close range and shooting wide from the edge of the box, Ronald Koeman’s men were heavily punished at the other end.
PSG continue scoring run on the road – the stats
Player of the match
MbappéKylian Mbappé
Barcelona
Squad number10Player nameMessi
Squad number21Player namede Jong
Squad number7Player nameGriezmann
Squad number11Player nameDembélé
Squad number1Player nameter Stegen
Squad number16Player namePedri
Squad number18Player nameAlba
Squad number2Player nameDest
Squad number3Player namePiqué
Squad number15Player nameLenglet
Squad number5Player nameBusquets
Squad number28Player nameMingueza
Squad number8Player namePjanic
Squad number9Player nameBraithwaite
Squad number17Player nameTrincão
Squad number12Player nameRiqui Puig
Paris Saint Germain
Squad number7Player nameMbappé
Squad number23Player nameDraxler
Squad number18Player nameKean
Squad number15Player nameDanilo Pereira
Squad number21Player nameHerrera
Squad number6Player nameVerratti
Squad number4Player nameKehrer
Squad number9Player nameIcardi
Squad number5Player nameMarquinhos
Squad number3Player nameKimpembe
Squad number27Player nameGueye
Squad number8Player nameParedes
Squad number24Player nameFlorenzi
Squad number1Player nameNavas
Squad number20Player nameKurzawa
Line-ups Barcelona
Formation 4-3-3
1ter Stegen
2Dest3Piqué15Lenglet18Alba
21de Jong5Busquets16González
11Dembélé10Messi7Griezmann
Substitutes
PSG
Formation 4-3-3
1Navas
24Florenzi5Marquinhos3Kimpembe20Kurzawa
27Gueye8Paredes6Verratti
18Kean9Icardi7Mbappé
Substitutes
Live Text
Match ends, Barcelona 1, Paris Saint Germain 4.
90’+6′
Second Half ends, Barcelona 1, Paris Saint Germain 4.
90’+5′
Clément Lenglet (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90’+5′
Foul by Mauro Icardi (Paris Saint Germain).
90’+2′
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Ander Herrera.
90’+2′
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Layvin Kurzawa.
90’+1′
Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90’+1′
Foul by Miralem Pjanic (Barcelona).
90′
Corner, Barcelona. Conceded by Marquinhos.
89′
Julian Draxler (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick on the right wing.
89′
Foul by Jordi Alba (Barcelona).
89′
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Thilo Kehrer replaces Alessandro Florenzi.
88′
Attempt missed. Martin Braithwaite (Barcelona) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Ousmane Dembélé with a cross.
85′
Goal! Barcelona 1, Paris Saint Germain 4. Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint Germain) right footed shot from the left side of the box to the top right corner. Assisted by Julian Draxler following a fast break.
85′
Substitution, Paris Saint Germain. Danilo Pereira replaces Moise Kean.
85′
Substitution, Barcelona. Martin Braithwaite replaces Antoine Griezmann.
84′
Foul by Layvin Kurzawa (Paris Saint Germain).
84′
Ousmane Dembélé (Barcelona) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80′
Ander Herrera (Paris Saint Germain) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80′
Foul by Riqui Puig (Barcelona).