The city famous for its love and romance did not quite live up to the expectations of Barcelona. The Spanish giants were humiliated by PSG in the UEFA Champions League draw. Messi and Co were beaten 4-0 on the night courtesy of a superb performance by Unai Emery’s men.
Barcelona beaten at their own game:
Man marking players, hunting opponents down, chasing the ball high up the pitch. These are all tactics in which Barcelona excel. But somehow they were beaten in their own game by PSG. The French team put in a great shift all throughout the match. They won back the ball as soon as they lost possession of it. And every time a Barcelona player would think of moving forward he would immediately be surrounded by a sea of blue shirts. This eventually shut down Barca’s midfield and that in turn hurt their attacking and dominant game plan.
Marco Verratti had the job of sticking with Andres Iniesta and he performed it to the utmost perfection. Iniesta looked a shadow of his great self and was totally non-existent in the game. As Barcelona were being beaten in their own game, Luis Enrique failed to come up with any sort of answer. He did make a couple of substitutions but all of that went to vain.
Birthday boys shine:
Angel Di Maria and Edison Cavani both edged their names on the scoresheet as they put in a fine performance. Di Maria started the scoring with a wonderful free-kick in the first half. Then he scored again in the 55th minute with a curling left footer the flew into the top corner. Cavani scored in the 71st minute when in thumped one past Ter Stegen’s near post to make it 4 for PSG on the night.
Taking a 4 goal lead to Nou Camp:
PSG will go into the second leg of the match with a 4 goal advantage. It is a very healthy lead to take to Camp Nou. PSG know that almost half of their job is done, but they will also be wary of facing Barca in their home turf. Cause they know very well that Barca can pull off the seemingly impossible at the Nou Camp.
