Goals: Barcelona—Messi 19’ - Neymar 42’ - Suarez 77’; PSG—Ibrahimovic 15’
Recap: Ninety minutes of scintillating football saw Barcelona capture a 3-1 victory over Paris-Saint Germain on Wednesday.
Drama ensued in the opening 15 minutes, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic opening the affair for the visitors. Lionel Messi would promptly respond, burying a cross from Luis Suarez just four minutes later. The stars were on display at the Nou Camp. A 25-yard missile off the right foot of Neymar continued the trend. Barcelona entered the half with a 2-1 lead.
A second-half goal from Suarez sealed the 3-1 victory.
Key Moment: PSG’s best chance at an equalizer came in the 53rd minute. Unfortunately for the club, Marc Bartra was there to provide not one, but two timely blocks, preserving Barcelona’s lead.
Man of the Match: Suarez's acclimation to life in Barcelona is complete. The 27-year-old finished with one goal and an assist.
Lesson Learned: PSG finished the group phase in second, but are far from a second-tier team. Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and FC Porto are all eligible to face the Parisians in the Round of 16. With the exception of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, PSG would be favored in any potential tie. The possibility is there, and it’s a strong one, that at least one of the group winners do not advance to the quarterfinals.
Up Next: Both clubs return to league play, with Barcelona visiting Getafe on Dec. 13 and PSG traveling to Guingamp on Dec. 14.
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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