Actions in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals was a spectacle, with the second instalment of matches whetting out appetites for what is to come in the second leg.
Barcelona and Paris Saint-German kicked off the match at the Parc Des Princes with the French side dominating the possession and the Catalan club getting the better chances.
Ousmane Dembele playing against familiar foes tried to jink past Cancelo, but the on-loan Manchester City man stood his ground.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendez tried to give the Parisians the lead but saw his shot blocked by Ronald Araujo.
The Catalan club gradually got into the game as Raphihna saw his shot hit the side netting.
Donnarumma misjudged the flight of the ball as he fumbled off his line but Lewandowski’s header was superbly cleared off the line by Portuguese defender Nuno Mendez.
It was the Catalan giant who got their noses in the front as Brazilian international Raphihna got his first UEFA Champions League goal of the campaign.
The ball fell to him inside the box before he fired the ball inside the right post to give his side a 0-1 lead.
Lamine Yamal tried his best to latch onto a crossfield pass, but the pass was too long as it went out of play for a PSG throw.
The Blaugrana side had upped the ante after their goal as Cancelo saw his shot from distance fly some distance off wide of the left post.
Kylian Mbappe repeatedly found himself offside as he had only two shots in the whole of the first half, with none hitting the target.
The first half ended with the Spanish side on top.
The second half started with a frenetic pace as the Parisian pulled a quick goal three minutes into the second half as former starman Ousmane Dembele unleashed a rocket of a strike into the roof of the net to tie the score at 1-1.
One quickly turned into two, as the Parisian got their second in quick succession. Vitinha received a pass from Fabian Ruiz before slotting the ball past Ter Stegen.
Bradley Barcola missed a glorious chance as he saw his shot smartly saved by Marc Andre Ter Stegen as the ball went out for a corner.
Barcelona got the equalizer in the 62 minutes as second-half substitute Pedri’s lofted pass was volleyed home by Raphihna into the bottom left corner of the goal.
Raphihna saw a chance to get his hat-trick via a free kick but saw his shot from 26 yards out directly saved by Donnarumma.
The post came to the rescue of the Blaugrana as Ousmane Dembele missed a good chance as his shot came off the right-hand post.
Barcelona would surprisingly go ahead as Andre Christensen got on the end of Ilkay Gundogan’s corner to give the Laliga side a 2:3 win.
The Parisian huffed and puffed as Luis Enrique’s side couldn’t get the equalizer. The Blaugrana edged out PSG with a 2:3 win.
Barcelona are halfway through in the race for the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League semi-finals
PSG will look to turn the tie around when they travel to Spain for the return leg, while Xabi will hope to lead his side through to the semi-finals.
Atletico Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Atletico Madrid edged out Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium which extended Diego Simeone’s unbeaten run to 17 matches in the knockout.
Los Rojiblancos started the game brightly as Diego Simeone’s side got the opener through a defensive mistake.
Rodrigo De Paul profiting from a poor pass from the Goalkeeper before slotting it beyond the Dortmund goalkeeper
Edin Terzic’s side took over 30 minutes to get their first chance of the game as Felix Nmecha’s header sailed over the bar.
Colchoneros eventually doubled their lead through Samuel Lino, who coolly slotted past Kobel after a sublime assist from Griezmann.
Despite Atletico Madrid’s dominance, the Dortmund side showed a lack of effort as they continued to give the ball away in crucial moments
They eventually improved in the second half as they pulled a goal back. Sebastian Haller who came on for the effective Fullkrug repaid his coach’s trust, as he got the goal through a smart first-time finish.
Bynoe-Gitten saw his long-range strike hit the base of the goal as the Atletico Madrid team held on for a crucial victory, to take into the second leg at the Westfalenstadion next Tuesday.
While for Borussia Dortmund this was a game full of comical errors, they will be hoping for their fans “The Yellow Wall” to cheer them on when Diego Simeone’s men come visiting.
