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PSG Finishes Off Barcelona; Messi Scores, Has PK Saved in Champions League Ouster

There was no miracle comeback for Barcelona this time, which bows out of the Champions League in the round of 16.

Avi Creditor

There was no remontada this time around.

PSG staved off Barcelona's best efforts for a second stunning Champions League comeback in four years, seeing out Lionel Messi & Co. with a 1-1 draw in their second leg of the round of 16 on Wednesday that secured a 5-2 aggregate victory and a place in the quarterfinals.

Nearly four years to the day of its comeback from a 4-0 first-leg deficit in the Champions League round of 16 vs. PSG, Barcelona headed to the Parc des Princes looking to overturn a 4-1 deficit. "La Remontada," as the 6-1 second-leg win in 2017 became known, featured a packed Camp Nou and an influential Neymar that helped Barcelona stun a shellshocked PSG.

This time around, Neymar was repping PSG (though he was out injured on Wednesday), and the setting was an empty stadium in the rainy French capital, with a PSG side a bit more battle-tested in the Champions League after reaching the final last season. 

Keylor Navas was sensational in goal for the hosts, denying Ousmane Dembele on multiple occasions, while Kylian Mbappé's first-half penalty kick gave PSG a bit of early breathing room. Lionel Messi's sensational long-range goal gave Barcelona some hope, and it looked like the aggregate deficit would only be two going into halftime of the second leg after Antoine Griezmann earned a penalty, but Messi's spot kick was saved by Navas, and Barcelona never got closer.

Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman changed up his tactics to feature a more aggressive 3-4-3, with the visitors knowing they needed to go for it. U.S. international Sergiño Dest cracked the XI, starting on the right wing in front of the three-man back line.

Barcelona's first glimpse of danger came in the fifth minute, with Dembele racing to the end line and cutting back a ball for Messi, whose shot was blocked by a pair of PSG defenders.

Messi had a free kick opportunity from 25 yards three minutes later, following a foul that resulted in a booking for Layvin Kurzawa, but he fired his chance well over the bar of Navas's goal. 

Dembele forced a save from Navas just over 10 minutes in, forcing the Costa Rican veteran to get down and to his left to make the stop, but it was all straightforward enough as PSG continued to nurse its comfortable advantage. 

Dembele remained active, running at the PSG defense before firing away with his right from 18 yards two minutes later, only to overhit his chance. As the match hit 18 minutes, Dembele tested Navas yet again, running onto a well-hit throughball from Messi and forcing a similar, yet more difficult save than the first.

It was Dest's turn to test Navas next, with his powerful shot from a tight, right-sided angle helped onto the woodwork by the PSG goalkeeper.

After all of Barcelona's work in the early going, it was PSG that scored first. Clement Lenglet was whistled for a penalty upon VAR review for tripping Mauro Icardi, and Mbappé stepped to the spot and scored in the 31st minute, giving PSG a 5-1 aggregate lead. Barcelona's objective ostensibly remained the same—score four goals. Only now, four goals would just force extra time.

Dembele was denied yet again by Navas as Barcelona continued to try to chip away, with his 35th-minute chance hit right at the goalkeeper. Barcelona finally broke through a couple of minutes, and it did so in spectacular fashion. Messi unloaded a long-range blast with his potent left foot, making it 1-1 on the day and cutting the aggregate deficit to 5-2.

Messi missed a golden chance to cut it to 5-3 just before halftime. Antoine Griezmann was fouled in the PSG box by Kurzawa, gifting Barcelona a penalty, but Navas saved Messi's spot kick, directing it off the crossbar and away to preserve the three-goal edge heading into the break.

PSG stabilized over the first quarter hour of the second half, but Barcelona nearly scored on the hour mark, with Messi and Griezmann both possessing deep in the PSG box only for a horde of defenders to shut down any and all shooting lanes before clearing to safety.

PSG saw out the match from there, joining Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Porto as the first four teams in the quarterfinals.

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Avi Creditor
AVI CREDITOR

Avi Creditor is a senior editor and has covered soccer for more than a decade. He’s also a scrappy left back. 

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