Barca had a dramatic 3-2 victory over PSG in the first leg of the quarter-finals of the 2023/2024 European Cup. This is the first time Barca has won in this round since Lionel Messi left.
At the Parc des Princes, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha scored for PSG in the 48th and 50th minutes respectively. On the other hand, Raphinha contributed a double for Barca in the 37th and 62nd minutes of the match. Then in the 77th minute, Andreas Christensen headed the ball past goalkeeper Donnarumma to seal a 3-2 victory for Barca.
By defeating PSG, Barca officially had their first victory in the quarter-finals of the European Cup 1 since 2019. At that time, Lionel Messi scored a double in the second leg of the quarter-finals to help Barca defeat MU with a total score of 4-0 after two matches.
After Lionel Messi left Barca in 2021, the Catalan team was eliminated from the group stage of the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 European Cup. However, Barca has found joy again in the continental arena this season.
Barca has continuously reached memorable milestones in the “post-Messi” era when they entered the quarter-finals for the first time, then had their first victory in the quarter-finals of the European Cup 1. Coach Xavi and his team will even advance to the semi-finals if they maintain their advantage against PSG in the second leg on the morning of April 17.
More broadly, this is also the first time Barca has won a Champions League quarter-final without Lionel Messi in the squad since 2008. 16 years ago, Lionel Messi was injured and missed both quarter-final matches when Barca beat Schalke 04.
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