Paris Saint-Germain scored twice in the final 10 minutes through Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz to secure an impressive 4-2 victory over Barcelona in an entertaining Champions League encounter.
Match Report
Both teams squandered several scoring opportunities, but Desire Doue gave PSG the lead before the break. Xavi Espart restored parity early in the second half, only for Lucas Hernandez to put the reigning champions ahead again.
Lamine Yamal brought Barcelona level once more, but late goals from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz ended the Spanish side’s perfect start to the season.
PSG nearly took an early lead after Pedri lost possession, allowing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to strike the post with an effort from the edge of the penalty area. Ousmane Dembele collected the rebound but fired wide of an unguarded goal, although an offside decision spared him further embarrassment.
Barcelona suffered an early setback when Dembele pulled up with a hamstring problem, forcing Ferran Torres to come on as his replacement. Torres soon found himself through on goal, but his poorly struck volley was comfortably handled by Joan Garcia.
The Barcelona goalkeeper continued to impress, denying Torres from close range before recovering quickly to push away Fabian Ruiz’s bouncing volley.
PSG eventually broke the deadlock in the 38th minute. Joao Neves intercepted Yamal’s chipped pass from defence, allowing Doue to escape his marker before curling a fine finish beyond Garcia.
Barcelona nearly equalised shortly afterwards through Fermin Lopez, who had replaced the injured Dani Olmo. However, Matvey Safonov remained composed to block his attempted chip in a one-on-one situation.
PSG maintained their attacking pressure after the restart, with Doue setting up an unmarked Achraf Hakimi, whose first-time effort was directed straight at Garcia.
Barcelona capitalised on PSG’s missed chances in the 55th minute when an excellent passing move ended with Fermin setting up Espart, who drove the ball past Safonov to make it 1-1.
Gavi then forced a sharp save from Safonov, but PSG soon regained control of the contest. Ferran hit the post from close range, and from the resulting corner, Doue delivered a cross that Hernandez powered past Garcia to restore the hosts’ lead.
Barcelona responded through a moment of individual brilliance from Yamal. Warren Zaire-Emery failed to deal with a long ball forward, and the teenager brilliantly controlled it in his stride before unleashing a superb shot from a tight angle into the roof of the net with 11 minutes remaining.
However, Vitinha put PSG back in front just two minutes later. Gerard Martin only partially cleared Hakimi’s cross, allowing the Portugal international to unleash a powerful volley from the edge of the box that left Garcia with no chance.
PSG sealed all three points with four minutes remaining in regulation time. Hakimi’s low cross took a slight deflection before reaching the unmarked Fabian Ruiz, who calmly tapped the ball into the net at the far post.
Barcelona’s Perfect Start Comes to an End
The fixture lived up to expectations, with both sides producing an entertaining attacking display. Their previous 15 European Cup/Champions League meetings had produced a combined 57 goals, and this encounter could easily have added several more.
PSG dominated the first half, registering 10 shots on target from 12 attempts. It was the highest number of first-half shots on target Barcelona had faced in the competition since at least the 2003-04 season.
Despite Barcelona’s defeat, goalkeeper Garcia was one of the standout performers, finishing the match with 10 saves.
Barcelona had enjoyed an outstanding start to the 2026-27 campaign, winning all 11 of their previous matches across competitions and scoring 50 goals. However, their unbeaten run has now come to an end.
The two teams combined for 40 shots, with PSG recording 22 and Barcelona 18. They also created 11 Opta-defined big chances, six for PSG and five for the Spanish side.
The encounter represented Barcelona’s toughest test of the season so far, and PSG demonstrated their quality against the Catalan giants.
Luis Enrique, who faced his former club, has now guided PSG to a 13-match unbeaten run in the Champions League, recording nine wins and four draws.
The French side have also equalled their longest unbeaten streak in the competition, matching the 13-game run they achieved between October 2012 and November 2013.
