Five key stats from PSG 2-3 Barcelona

Andreas Christensen came off the bench and scored a crucial goal to secure Barcelona a thrilling 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal at the Parc des Princes.

Although PSG looked firm during the opening minutes, Barcelona almost took the lead when Nuno Mendes cleared Robert Lewandowski’s header off the goal line following a corner kick from Ilkay Gundogan.

Barcelona went ahead thanks to a goal from Raphinha and held a 1-0 lead at halftime. PSG quickly turned the game around in the second half, scoring two goals in rapid succession to go up 2-1. 

Raphinha then equalized for Barcelona, and Christensen’s goal in the 77th minute sealed the victory for the visitors. With a win in the bag, here we look at five key stats that defined that match.

Barcelona are Enrique’s doom

It is to be noted that yesterday’s match was Luis Enrique’s third encounter against Barcelona and during his three face-offs, he is yet to end up on the winning side.

His record against Barcelona reads: 3 matches, 3 defeats.

Luis Enrique is yet to win a match against Barcelona. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

His first-ever encounter against the Blaugrana came during his Celta Vigo stint in the 2013/14 season. During the two league meetings, he lost both.

Barcelona’s history with three goals

Although Barcelona haven’t had much success in the UEFA Champions League lately, it’s worth mentioning that the last time they scored three goals away from home in a UCL match was in the 2014/15 season.

What’s intriguing is that the last time they netted three away goals in a UCL knockout game was against PSG in the quarter-final tie. Remarkably, that season they ended up winning the Champions League.

PSG’s run came to a halt

PSG have been playing exceptionally well this season. Until yesterday’s loss, they haven’t been defeated since November 2023 when they lost 1-2 to Milan in the Champions League. 

Following that defeat, they embarked on an impressive unbeaten streak of 27 games, with eight draws and 19 wins. However, their streak came to an end when they faced Barcelona.

Mbappe x Cubarsi

Pau Cubarsi put on a stunning display against Kylian Mbappe. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images)

After being chosen to start in the lineup against PSG, Pau Cubarsi made history as the youngest defender ever to start in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, at just 17 years and 79 days old.

Despite his age, though, the youngster put on a stunning display to thwart a certain Kylian Mbappe. 

In fact, the Frenchman had zero shots on target, won just three out of 12 duels and completed 1 out of four dribbles against the Barcelona defender.

Raphinha x Dembele

Raphinha netted two goals for Barcelona, marking his first brace in all competitions for the team. 

He achieved a feat not seen since Lionel Messi’s double in the Champions League semi-finals against Liverpool in May 2019, becoming the first Barça player to score a brace in a knockout match.

It’s worth noting that Raphinha’s achievement coincides with PSG forward Ousmane Dembele, as both players have scored twice at Parc des Princes this season.