On Wednesday at the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain lost 3-2 to FC Barcelona in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match. One star of the contest was Raphinha, who scored a brace to fuel the Spanish side and spoke postgame about his performance.
The scoring kicked off in the first half for Barcelona, with the Brazilian finding the back of the net in the 37th minute. Ousmane Dembélé, facing his former team, leveled the score at 1-1 in the 48th minute. Shortly after, Vitinha put the capital club ahead with a goal, making it 2-1.
Nevertheless, Barcelona wasted no time in making a comeback. Raphinha netted his second goal of the match in the 62nd minute, equalizing the score at 2-2. Then, just 15 minutes later, Andreas Christensen headed the ball into the net, securing two unanswered goals and giving Barcelona a 3-2 lead.
Raphinha spoke after the win and noted what it meant to him to be the star of the match as Barcelona take an advantage with the scene shifting to Spain next week.
“I was aiming for the first goal, and I managed to score both the first and the second against one of the best teams in the world,” Raphinha told the media (h/t Mundo Deportivo).
“It’s a special night for me, one I’ll always cherish in my memory, but what matters most is how well the team performed. We managed to play a great match for the first leg of the Champions League.”
