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Reuben Joe Joseph
Reuben Joe Joseph

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

10 conclusions from the Barca-PSG first leg

TOPSHOT-FBL-EUR-C1-PSG-BARCELONA Barcelona's Lionel Messi (centre) vies with Paris Saint-Germain's French defender Layvin Kurzawa (right) during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg football match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona | AFP

The city of love showed no love to its Spanish visitors as Paris St Germain ripped Barcelona to shreds (4-0) in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 encounter. A stunning brace from Angel di Maria and classic counter-attacking finishes from Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani condemned Barcelona to one of their heaviest defeats in the tournament's history.

Here are ten things we learnt from the night at the Parc des Princes:

1. Money pays

Since the turn of the century, football 'purists' have taken a strong disliking for the rise of clubs with billionaire owners. But now that every big club has given in to the power of money, there's little to complain about. Yet, when it seemed like no amount of money could help Paris St Germain taste European success, a performance like this is just what they needed to justify their big splashes in the market. They now have leveraged to lure the Lionel Messi they've always dreamt of.

 

2. Lethargic Barca, dynamic PSG

From the word go, it looked evident that Barcelona was playing with fire. The Catalonians were slow, sloppy and unfocussed as the Parisians closed down on them from all angles. Had it not been for 'keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen's heroics, it would have been an even more embarrassing scoreline. PSG, who had entered the game as underdogs, pressed hard and barely gave any breathing space to their opponents.

3. No Zlatan, no problem

After Zlatan Ibrahimovic departed for Manchester United, it looked like PSG would find it hard to replace the talismanic marksman. But Edinson Cavani's outing has allowed the Parisians to forget their loss. It's hard to say whether Zlatan would have been happy watching his former side demolish a club that he has bad memories of, or whether he was frustrated to see that, after several failed attempts, they did it without him.

 

4. The Angel is far from done

From Benfica prodigy to Real Madrid reject to Manchester United flop to PSG superstar, Angel di Maria has come full circle. The wily attacker justified the £44-million price tag on a night when he thoroughly outshone his Argentine captain, Messi. The 29-year old was thought to be a spent force after his time at United, but a sublime freekick and top-corner finish later, he surely has more tricks up his sleeve.

5. Battle of the signings

Julian Draxler continued to prove his worth, with his fifth goal in five games for PSG, while Andre Gomes continued to disappoint for Barcelona. The two midfielders joined their clubs this season amid much fanfare. Gomes has failed to repay coach Luis Enrique's unwavering faith in him throughout the season and it seems that the daunting task of replacing the legend Xavi will not be solved anytime soon.

6. Behold the Emery era

Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc brought domestic success to the French capital, but the one thing they failed to do was to beat Barcelona in a CL tie. Enter Unai Emery, a Spanish hero who became one of Europe's most-wanted coaches, after winning three consecutive Europa League trophies with Sevilla. He has achieved in one night what Carlo Ancelotti and Laurent Blanc couldn't in five years. Looks like all they needed was a Spaniard to beat the Spaniards.

7. Messi is (once again) human

It is on rare instances like these that Lionel Messi seems mortal like the rest of us. The Argentine seemed lost on the field and could not manage even one touch in the opposition's penalty box. Worse still, 21-year-old Presnel Kimpembe and 22-year-old Adrien Rabiot showed him up with flicks and grabs, much to the delight of the local crowd. Messi and his two sidekicks—Neymar and Suarez—were helpless as the home team successfully shut them down.

8. V'day, birthdays and good days

Very few people in the world would have gone to sleep as satisfied as Cavani and di Maria did, last night. The two birthday boys, separated by a year, conveyed their love to their fans on Valentine's day with goals against the mighty Barcelona. If the exciting South American duo continue to shine like they did yesterday, there could definitely be more good days to come in this tournament.

9. The CL is becoming more competitive

The absence of the likes of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Manchester United in the Champions League this year had proved the increasing competition for the CL spots domestically. But now that it has become likely for Barcelona to be knocked out before the quarterfinals, it shows that the tournament is expanding. There are now more 'big' teams in Europe, irrespective of whether they are bolstered by money or tactical geniuses.

10. Mountain to climb

The second leg of the round beckons, and fans at the Camp Nou may not give the visitors the warmest of welcomes. With a four-goal deficit to overcome, Barcelona will have to produce nothing short of world-class football that the team is synonymous with. It has been exactly 10 years since Barcelona was last eliminated in the round of 16, and PSG will do everything to break that streak.

Incidentally, another heavyweight Borussia Dortmund lost 1-0 to Benfica in the other round-of-16 encounter. It's all happening in the Champions League.

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