Champions League: PSG, Barca may meet again but will it be this entertaining?

Kolkata: Civil unrest, not far from the Parc des Princes, didn’t warrant calling off the Champions League night. The show, you see, must go on. With 40 combined attempts on goal, Paris St-Germain (PSG) and Barcelona certainly put on a show.

Another 4-2 scoreline against a top team, another victory for the defending champions. Nobody wins anything in October but PSG are a blend of grit and grace that had the measure of Manchester City away and Barcelona at home. League leaders in England and Spain were defeated by a team that is not on top in France.

In Manchester, PSG were in control despite City’s goals. In Paris, Barcelona were the dominant side for a large part of the second half. “We managed to react to that, and score goals when it mattered,” said Luis Enrique, PSG’s head coach.

Barcelona equalised through Xavi Espart (55th), one of the four teenagers in their line-up on Tuesday, and again with a goal that from anyone else would be termed a fluke but since it is Lamine Yamal we are discussing, it can be a piece of magic we hadn’t seen before.

PSG had replaced Lucas Hernandez with Warren Zaire-Emery. Yamal wasn’t having a good night - it was his mispass that led to Desire Doue putting PSG ahead in the 38th minute – but a miscued header from Zaire-Emery sent Yamal on his way. The shot that bulged the roof of the net felt impossible because of the angle but then what do we know? 2-2 after 79 minutes.

Hernandez’s goal, rising and beating Anthony Gordon to a corner-kick in the 72nd minute, came against the run of play. The corner-kick was forced because a counter-attack, as slick as it was quick, had Ferran Torres hitting the upright before the ball was cleared.

That was the thing about this match. So good were the teams in attack that the balance of the tie could shift either way at any moment. Barcelona came to Paris with an all-win record after 11 matches in all competitions where they scored 48 goals. They may have released Robert Lewandowski, sold Ferran Torres to PSG for €50m and failed to buy Julian Alvarez but the goals have kept coming from Raphinha (14 in 9), Yamal (10) and everyone else.

Two-footed PSG attackers

PSG have attackers good with both feet: Doue has, as per The Athletic, 46 shots with his right foot and 17 with his left since 2024-25 in the Champions League, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia can go both ways after cutting inside and Ousmane Dembele, who was injured early, is also two-footed. Torres scored in the World Cup final and is loving the central attacking role when Dembele is not available. Two goals on the night came from PSG’s midfielders and they have defenders like Achraf Hakimi who is often found at the top of the rival penalty box.

Kvaratskhelia hit the framework in the second minute after Pedri had the ball taken away by Joao Neves as PSG pressed high. Vitinha, having started a move near his penalty box, moved up and won a corner-kick. Barcelona had Gordon and Yamal combine to nearly find Raphinha.

Ten minutes in, Gordon ghosted into PSG’s penalty area and in the 14th, Dani Olmo fizzed wide after Gordon and Raphinha had combined to find him. Joao Cancelo needed to stick a leg out to stop Doue. Raphinha’s shot was blocked and, in the 28th minute, PSG forced three saves from Joan Garcia. In the 61st minute, Gavi, Gordon and Yamal produced a masterclass in one-touch passing. It was end to end. It was breathless.

Also Read - PSG’s ruthless response to Barcelona boosts Champions League three-peat pursuit

Early season Champions League games can be that. The new format leaves headroom for top teams to make the pre-quarter finals. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played a 4-4 draw on the first day of last season. Including PSG and Barcelona’s 7-2 wins, 2025-26 had seven matches with seven or more goals in the first phase. Match Day 2 this term had 46 goals. Tuesday saw 40 spread across nine matches.

With little at stake, why not keep Rodri on the bench with an eye on Sunday’s Clasico? And why not play with freedom?

Encapsulating that was a moment in the game in the 51st minute. Kvaratskhelia moved up as PSG broke but played a poor pass. It was met by an equally poor clearance from Gerard Martin. Yes, mistakes happen but this was also a contest where it would hurt less.

Barcelona had come back against Galatasaray as well but this was different. Their defence has been hit by injuries and they were lax in closing down Vitinha who made it 3-2 in the 81st minute before Fabian Ruiz celebrated an addition to his family with a smart tap-in five minutes later.

“In the last 10 minutes… the team was a bit down and tired. But I am not negative about this. Today it was a great experience for us. This is the way to improve,” said Barca head coach Hansi Flick.

Early favourites for the final next June, PSG and Barcelona may meet again but will the football be this free-flowing?