Barcelona 1 PSG 2 - More Yamal magic, 45-game scoring record, Barca’s high line hurts them late

Barcelona were beaten 2-1 by Paris Saint-Germain after the Champions League holders took advantage of their radical high defensive line.

Hansi Flick’s side opened the scoring in the 19th minute through a fine team move that ended with Ferran Torres turning home a Marcus Rashford pass in the 19th minute — and continuing their remarkable scoring record under the German (more on that later).

Luis Enrique’s PSG hit back through their young goalscorer in last season’s final, Senny Mayulu, who slotted past goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny in the 38th minute following a brilliant run from Nuno Mendes. Mayulu, 19, was one of five teenagers who started this game, including a certain Lamine Yamal — only the seventh time that has happened in Champions League history.

The intensity dropped a little in the second half, with Achraf Hakimi clearing a goal-bound Dani Olmo shot and substitute Lee Kang-in hitting the post late on, and it appeared as if these two exciting teams would cancel each other out. But Hakimi found acres of space behind Barca’s backline to play in Goncalo Ramos, who managed to stay onside and fire a finish past Szczesny to win it in the 90th minute.

Dermot Corrigan, Jack Lang and Conor O’Neill analyse the key talking points…

Why did Barca continue with their high line?

A new season, but the same radical defensive approach. Barcelona’s ultra-high line has its advantages, but it remains a nerve-racking watch.

PSG coach Luis Enrique praised it in his pre-match press conference: “I enjoy it because it is in line with FC Barcelona’s footballing ideals. They aren’t ponderous; they attack, press, and play a very high line.”

The departure of the experienced Inigo Martinez — a key figure in organising this demanding system — has not altered their approach. In fact, Barcelona’s average line height is virtually unchanged, as shown below.

The goals in this match illustrated the advantages and drawbacks of the approach. On the one hand, it enabled Barcelona to compress the pitch and counter-press immediately after losing possession.

That pressure created the opening goal, when Vitinha’s rare loose pass was seized on by Yamal. It also stifled PSG’s short-passing rhythm: they had just 43 per cent possession in the first half, their lowest in the Champions League since their group-stage defeat away to Arsenal last season.

But, against a side packed with quick, technical ball-carriers like PSG, the high line is always vulnerable to a well-timed run. Their equaliser came when Mendes sliced through Barcelona’s midfield from deep with a simple give-and-go, creating a 3-vs-3 situation in the attacking third.

It’s particularly vulnerable to these late runs, with Mendes’ full-back partner Hakimi enjoying nine touches in the opposition box, his second-highest figure in the last two Champions League campaigns. It was the high line that left Hakimi free to square a simple pass across the box for Ramos’ late winner.

Conor O’Neill

More Yamal attacking magic… but should he be tracking back more?

Lamine Yamal has already shown over his short career that he loves the big occasion — and he will have relished the challenge of playing against Nuno Mendes, probably the best left-back in world football.

Inside the first two minutes, the 18-year-old set off on an absolutely fantastic run past five PSG defenders, including a surreal pirouette away from Vitinha and Bradley Barcola. He finished that move with a lovely slide-rule pass for Ferran Torres, who fluffed the early chance.

Soon afterwards, Yamal produced a superb outside-of-the-boot, defence-splitting pass which sent Torres through again. This time, only a tremendous sliding block by centre-back Illia Zabarnyi denied him a certain goal.

He also played a key part in Barca’s opener, intercepting Vitinha’s rare misplaced pass in his own half, and immediately springing into action to set in motion the move which led to Torres finding the net.

But Flick has regularly pointed out in public that going forward is only half the job for all his team’s players, no matter how talented they are. And replays of Mayulu’s goal for PSG showed that Yamal was still walking on the other side of the halfway line, long after Mendes had charged forward from deep to set up the equaliser.

Just before the break, Yamal pressed better and won the ball from Nunes, who had to take him out and pick up a yellow card. It was a fascinating battle between two players who will hopefully face each other many times for club and country over the next decade or more.

Dermot Corrigan

Is Nuno Mendes the world’s best full-back?

There was nothing on. Nuno Mendes received a pass from Willian Pacho. He was only just outside his own box. Barcelona’s players were all in position. Jules Kounde and Yamal started the press, two attack dogs sniffing blood. There was nothing on.

Mendes went for it anyway. He let the ball run across his body, popped a little pass to Ibrahim Mbaye, set off in search of adventure. Immediately, Yamal was in the rear-view. Dani Olmo briefly looked interested in closing him down, then realised he had no chance, a little Roy Hodgson gif in human form. Frenkie de Jong and Kounde got closer but not close enough; Mendes, by this point closing in on Barcelona’s area, disengaged rampage mode and picked out Mayulu, who did the rest.

It was a brilliant assist, a masterpiece of athleticism, touch and good, old-fashioned derring-do. What it wasn’t was anything like a surprise: this is just what Mendes does.

The 23-year-old can do it all. His pace is his most obvious weapon but he is also an astute passer between the lines. His positioning is solid. He can tackle. When he gets into the final third, he invariably picks the right option. “A fighter plane,” Luis Enrique has called him, which sums it up pretty nicely.

He was, admittedly, a little lucky here. Booked for a foul on Yamal in the first half, he then tripped the same player on the hour mark. Barcelona were convinced that he should have been dismissed. They probably had a point.

In the final reckoning, though, it was his contribution at the other end that will be remembered. His wonderful assist should be folded into the big ongoing debate: not whether he is the best left-back in the world — that much seems obvious at this stage — but whether he is the best full-back, full stop.

Jack Lang

Barca’s remarkable scoring streak not enough

Torres’ first-half goal meant that, for the first time in Barca’s history, the team had scored in 45 consecutive games.

Since they suffered a 1-0 defeat by Leganes in December 2024, Flick’s team have managed to find the net every time they played in all competitions.

Flick has a lot of attacking resources to call on, with Yamal, Torres, the currently injured Raphinha, Olmo, Robert Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez (also sidelined through injury) and now Rashford all stepping up in big moments to keep that run going. Even defenders such as Eric Garcia and Kounde have regularly got on the scoresheet over the past 10 months.

The German has also been very clever in how he deploys his attacking options. Even with Raphinha out tonight, he was able to leave Lewandowski on the bench. Rashford is still learning how to fit into the attacking machine around him, but the Manchester United loanee showed impressive movement and judgement in his assist for the opener and was a danger throughout with his direct running and dribbling skills.

It seems that, whoever plays up front for this Barca team, they will find a way to score. Unfortunately, this game showed their defensive vulnerabilities too.

Dermot Corrigan

Did this game live up to its billing?

Part of the excitement before kick-off harked back to last season’s Champions League final — or, rather, the final that wasn’t. A Barcelona-PSG punch-up for the ages looked to be on the cards when the teams were kept apart in the draw, only for the Catalans to self-sabotage against Inter in the semi-finals.

Was this a worthy do-over? Yes and no. There were periods of silky football from both teams, plus moments at which the game became enjoyably frayed, the usual geometric shapes morphed by desperation and fatigue. There was a late winner. It was a good game.

It was not a classic, however. That was in part down to personnel issues: Barcelona were without Raphinha and Joan Garcia; PSG were missing Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos and Jose Neves. We were a little shy on star power.

Mainly, though, there is just not enough peril in these Champions League group games. You could not claim that this is in any way a knockout blow to Barcelona. As a result, it will be remembered for what it was: 90 minutes of sparring and, at a push, a staging post for PSG — but nothing more significant.

Jack Lang

What did Flick say?

Speaking to Spanish broadcaster Movistar, Frenkie de Jong said: “(It’s a) very disappointing feeling at the end. When you concede in the last minute of the game, to lose at home, you have to be disappointed. They were better in the final stages, in the second half in general. We began the game better. So it went back and forward, but it’s true they were better in the second half.”

“When you’re defending one-vs-one, you have to play more intelligently at the end of the match, and that didn’t happen,” Flick told his post-match press conference. “They scored against us on the break. We need to be more organised and cover all the spaces.

“We lacked structure in the second half. You have to hold out for 90 minutes, the whole team has to defend, attack, be at a high level with the ball, take advantage of spaces, participate in possession. With PSG, you saw that everyone knows how to take advantage of spaces, wants the ball — these are things to learn and improve.”

What did Luis Enrique say?

“It was an excellent match,” Luis Enrique told his post-match press conference. “We struggled in the first half until they scored the first goal. Then we regained our level, and in the second half we were better.

“For me, they’re among the favourites to win the Champions League. They play wonderfully, they’re at a very high level. I have no doubt that Barca will be contenders and so will we. Barca and we have a very distinctive style. The real competition starts in the knockout stages and then we’ll see how each team performs.

“Today we played with many players from the youth academy who are 17 or 18 years old. It’s wonderful to have a team like this. I want to congratulate Mayulu in particular. The goal he scored wasn’t too bad, was it? He’s a very good player and you’ll get to know him.”

What’s next for Barca?

Sevilla (away), La Liga, Sunday 3.15pm UK time (10.15am ET)

What’s next for PSG?

Lille (away), Ligue 1, Sunday 7.45pm UK time (2.45pm ET)

(Top photo: Josep Lago/AFP via Getty Images)

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