Paris Saint-Germain secured a 4-2 victory against Barcelona on Tuesday in a dramatic UEFA Champions League Matchday 3 encounter at the Parc des Princes.
Luis Enrique’s side dominated the opening stages. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck the post in the second minute before goalkeeper Joan Garcia denied Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue.
PSG suffered an early setback when Dembele left the pitch with an apparent hamstring injury in the 20th minute. Former Barcelona forward Ferran Torres replaced him.
The hosts continued to threaten. Garcia produced a series of saves, including a double stop to deny Torres and Fabian Ruiz in the 29th minute.
PSG broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. Joao Neves intercepted a pass from Lamine Yamal in midfield before the ball fell to Doue, who dribbled inside from the edge of the penalty area and fired a right-footed strike into the bottom-left corner.
Barcelona nearly responded immediately. Matvei Safonov denied Fermin Lopez following Pedri’s through ball, and Willian Pacho cleared the rebound.
The hosts led 1-0 at halftime and kept creating opportunities after the break. Garcia denied Achraf Hakimi in a one-on-one situation in the 52nd minute.
Barcelona equalized three minutes later through Xavi Espart. He exchanged passes with Lopez before racing into the penalty area and firing a low shot past Safonov.
PSG regained the lead in the 72nd minute. Lucas Hernandez met Doue’s corner and powered a header into the top-right corner, moments after Torres had struck the post.
Barcelona responded again in the 79th minute through Yamal. The teenager capitalized on a misplaced headed clearance by Warren Zaire-Emery, driving into the penalty area from the right to score from a tight angle and make it 2-2.
PSG restored their advantage two minutes later. Vitinha controlled a loose ball on his chest outside the box before sending a right-footed half-volley into the bottom-right corner.
Ruiz sealed the victory in the 86th minute by converting Hakimi’s low cross at the far post. The result maintained PSG’s perfect record in the Champions League with three wins from three matches, while Barcelona suffered their first defeat in all competitions this season.
