Paris Saint-Germain made light of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s absence and a substandard start to the season by claiming a 3-2 UEFA Champions League victory over Barcelona on Tuesday.
Barca had not conceded a goal this season, but David Luiz, Marco Verrati and Blaise Matuidi each punctured their defense to give the French champions three points at the Parc des Princes.
Luiz put the home side ahead in the 10th minute, only for Lionel Messi to equalize two minutes later at the end of a sharp move, but Verrati’s 26th-minute header then put PSG in front again.
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Matuidi caught the Catalans’ defense snoozing again early in the second half and although Neymar pulled one back with a fine goal almost immediately, PSG held firm.
PSG lead Group F with four points, with Barca on three and Ajax third on two points after drawing 1-1 with APOEL Nicosia.
“There is a lot of satisfaction because we were going through a rough patch,” PSG coach Laurent Blanc told a news conference. “Even if some players played a great match, what I keep in mind is the collective performance of the team.”
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Barca coach Luis Enrique said his side had woken up in the last 25 minutes.
“In the last 25 minutes we could play our game and we could have equalized, although I’m not saying we did not deserve to lose,” he told a news conference. “I was not surprised by the level of PSG without Ibrahimovic, we know the potential of this team, they are Champions League contenders and won their league.”
With Jay Z, Beyonce and David Beckham watching from the stands on an electric night at the Parc des Princes, PSG looked transformed from the side that has drawn six of their first nine games of the season.
PSG tore into a Barca that had kept clean sheets in their first seven games in all competitions, making the visitors look fragile at the back.
Talismanic striker Ibrahimovic was ruled out of the tie with a heel injury, but PSG made up for his absence with Javier Pastore’s brilliance and Verratti’s grit.
PSG were rewarded for their early aggression when Luiz scored from a Lucas free-kick. Barca quickly recovered from the shock of conceding their first goal of the season with Messi sweeping the ball past Salvatore Sirigu after a fine one-two with Andres Iniesta, who was making his 100th Champions League appearance.
Edinson Cavani came close to making it 2-1 for PSG, but his shot from outside the box sailed high.
In an entertaining first half, the visitors also had a clear chance when Messi’s snap shot from inside the area was parried away by Sirigu in spectacular fashion, but Barca cracked again when an unmarked Verratti headed home from Thiago Motta’s corner.
Matuidi made it 3-1 nine minutes into the second, beating Marc-Andre ter Stegen from close range after escaping Daniel Alves at the far post.
Although Neymar slotted a delightful shot in off the far post two minutes later, the expected Barca onslaught never really materialized despite a burst of late pressure.
Not even the 69th-minute introduction of Xavi for Ivan Rakitic for a record 143rd appearance in the Champions League could earn Barca an equalizer.
In Nicosia, Ajax and APOEL played out an exciting draw, but both were left regretting missing the opportunity to seize all three points.
Gustavo Manduca’s penalty just after the half-hour for APOEL canceled out Lucas Andersen’s 28th-minute opener. Both teams created enough chances at APOEL’s GSP Stadium to earn the victory, but Ajax, who enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, were left most annoyed after squandering the lead.
Andersen opened the scoring for the Dutch side when the ball fell to him after Lasse Schone’s tame effort was beaten away by Uker Pardo.
Ajax almost scored again straight from the restart following a mixup at the back, but it took APOEL just three minutes to draw level when a handball by right back Ricardo van Rhijn gave Manduca the opportunity to equalize from the spot.
He sent goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen the wrong way to spark the home fans into a frenzy.
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