European champions Paris Saint-Germain defied the odds as they came from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, with substitute Goncalo Ramos deciding the game in the visitors’ favour after Senny Mayulu had cancelled out Ferran Torres’ opener.

PSG came into the game with several notable injury absentees, such as Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Georgian winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Portugal midfielder Joao Neves, who was ruled out in the warm-up and replaced in the starting XI by Warren Zaire-Emery. Understandably, Luis Enrique’s side took some time to settle into the game and had to withstand extended periods of Barcelona pressure in the first half. 

Lamine Yamal showed a sign of things to come as he skipped past three PSG players after just two minutes, while the visitors gave away a couple of needless passes in their own half. One of the guilty parties, Ilia Zabarnyi, made up for it with a top-class clearance off the goal-line after Torres rounded Lucas Chevalier and struck the ball towards an empty net.

The Parisians’ resistance would only last 19 minutes, though, as Torres broke the deadlock with a composed finish from Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford’s precise first-time pass. The usually faultless Vitinha gave the ball away for the goal, reflecting the nervy nature of PSG’s start to the eagerly-awaited clash in Catalonia. The French side dragged themselves level just before the break, though, with 19-year-old Mayulu netting following an outstanding Nuno Mendes run down the left. 

The visitors only grew in confidence after the break, with Ibrahim Mbaye proving an increased threat down the left-hand side as PSG began to get a grip of the midfield. They still needed to be at their very best to keep out Barcelona at the other end, though, as Achraf Hakimi put his body on the line to keep out a Dani Olmo strike which was destined for the net.

Substitute Lee Kang-in struck the post with a low drive cutting in from the right before captain Hakimi created the winning goal with just seconds of normal time remaining. It may have been a close offside call but Ramos had timed his run to perfection before finishing calmly to win the game for PSG in the most dramatic of circumstances.

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