PSG beat Barcelona 4-2 in Champions League thriller but lose Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia

Holders Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes in a Champions League thriller on Tuesday night, with two late goals ending the Spanish side’s 11-match winning start to the season. The match kicked off at 12:30 am IST on Wednesday, 21 October.

The win was costly, though. PSG lost Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to injury during the game, and defender Marquinhos also went off hurt.

Doué opens, Vitinha and Ruiz finish it

Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García kept his side level for much of the first half with a string of saves. Kvaratskhelia hit the post inside the first two minutes, according to AFP. Dembélé, last year’s Ballon d’Or winner, pulled up with what AFP described as a hamstring problem after about 20 minutes and was replaced by former Barcelona forward Ferran Torres.

Désiré Doué gave PSG the lead in the 38th minute. Lamine Yamal lost the ball in his own half, and Doué worked space before firing low into the corner from just outside the box.

Barcelona drew level soon after the break. Right-back Xavi Espart exchanged passes with Fermín López and finished neatly for only his second senior goal. Torres then hit a post for PSG before Lucas Hernández headed in from a corner in the 72nd minute. AFP said Hernández had been brought in to mark Yamal because Nuno Mendes was unavailable, and that it was his first PSG goal since February 2024.

Yamal equalised again in the 79th minute, running away from substitute Warren Zaïre-Emery to score. PSG responded almost at once. Vitinha controlled the ball on his chest and drove it in from distance in the 81st minute, and Fabián Ruiz made it 4-2 four minutes from time.

Injury worries for Luis Enrique

Goal.com reported that Kvaratskhelia hurt his right foot in a challenge in the 57th minute and could not put weight on it, so he had to be carried off. Marquinhos went off in the same minute. Barcelona lost Dani Olmo to injury in the first half. Goal.com said all four players were due to have medical tests. No official diagnosis had been published at the time of writing.

PSG have now won all three league-phase matches and lead the table on goal difference from Liverpool. Barcelona have six points from three games. According to ESPN, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said his tired side had made too many mistakes. ESPN also reported, citing a source, that Barcelona have complained to UEFA about a tifo displayed by PSG fans before the game.

Foden hat-trick, Liverpool comeback

Phil Foden scored three times as Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1 at the Etihad, with Erling Haaland rested on the bench. Elliot Anderson opened his City account, and Rayan Cherki was also on target.

Liverpool came from 2-0 down to beat Villarreal 4-3 and stay level with PSG on nine points. Eighteen-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha was the star, setting up Ronald Araújo’s equaliser. Mac Allister struck twice, with Florian Wirtz adding another.

Elsewhere, Napoli edged Bodø/Glimt 4-3 with two goals from Scott McTominay, Roma beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0, and PSV won 1-0 at Porto. Stuttgart and Atlético Madrid drew 1-1. In the two earlier kick-offs on Tuesday evening, Borussia Dortmund won 2-1 at Sabah in Baku through two Serhou Guirassy goals, and Fenerbahçe drew 2-2 with Slavia Prague.

The BBC reported that the nine games produced 40 goals. It said the 187 goals scored so far this season, an average of 4.16 per match, are the highest rate in Champions League history.

Sources: ESPN (PSG v Barcelona), Al Jazeera / AFP, Goal.com, ESPN (Man City v AEK Athens), ESPN (Liverpool v Villarreal), ESPN (scoreboard), BBC Sport