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Ousmane Dembele returned to haunt his former club as Paris Saint-Germain destroyed Barcelona at home to seal a semifinal ticket
Paris Saint-Germain overturned their first-leg deficit to comprehensively dismantle Barcelona and secure their spot in the Champions League semifinals thanks to a superb performance from former Blaugrana star Ousmane Dembele.
How it happened
The match started explosively, with Paris Saint-Germain taking the lead early on as Raphinha bundled home Lamine Yamal's cutback to score his third goal in the tie. However, Kylian Mbappé had an immediate response for the Parisians, only to be denied by a fantastic save from Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
The tie took a dramatic turn when Barcelona were reduced to 10 men, with Ronald Araújo receiving a straight red card for a last-man challenge on Bradley Barcola. Despite being a man down, Barcelona managed to draw level on the night, with Ousmane Dembélé haunting his former club once again by rifling home a finish from Barcola's low cross.
Paris Saint-Germain regained the lead early in the second half, with Vitinha firing a shot across Ter Stegen to give the visitors the lead on the night. Barcelona's hopes of a comeback suffered another blow when Xavi was also shown a red card for lashing out at an advertising board just minutes after PSG's second goal. Soon after Xavi's sending off, a second staff member was shown Barcelona's third red card of the night.
The night went from bad to worse for Barcelona as João Cancelo conceded a penalty for a challenge on Dembele, allowing Kylian Mbappé to step up and convert from the spot. Mbappé then sealed PSG's place in the semifinals with a cool finish in the closing stages, capping off a brilliant performance and sending Barcelona crashing out of the Champions League.
It was a night to forget for Barcelona, as they were unable to cope with the firepower of Paris Saint-Germain and saw their Champions League dreams shattered. In contrast, PSG delivered a masterclass performance, showcasing their quality and determination to advance to the semifinals of the competition.
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