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. The result isn’t one that manager Luis Enrique and he is installing the mindset he wants his team to have for the return leg.
Raphinha opened the scoring in the first half for Barcelona in the 37th minute. After a low-scoring first 45 minutes, the goals came in bunches in the second half. Ousmane Dembélé found the back of the net against his old team in the 48th minute, evening the score. Shortly after, the capital club seized a 2-1 lead thanks to Vitinha.
However, Barcelona didn’t take long to respond. In the 62nd minute, Raphinha scored his second goal of the match, tying the score at 2-2. Then, 15 minutes afterward, Andreas Christensen found the net with a header, giving Barcelona a 3-2 lead with two consecutive goals unanswered.
Enrique spoke to Movistar after the match and noted that he’s coming in with a more aggressive mindset as the scene shifts to Barcelona for the last 90 minutes.
“We are going to Barcelona to wage war,” Enrique told the outlet. “We are just going to change the things that didn’t work. It’s always important to value what such a big match means. It’s a positive point to think that we can win there.”
Luis Enrique a Movistar : «Nous allons à Barcelone pour faire la guerre. Nous allons juste changer les choses qui n'ont pas fonctionné, il faut toujours valoriser ce que signifie un match de cette ampleur. C'est un point positif de penser que nous pouvons gagner là-bas.»
— Paris_SGINFOS (@Paris_SGINFOS) April 10, 2024
PSG’s path to the semifinals hinges on another outstanding display from Kylian Mbappé in Barcelona, underscoring his crucial role. A solid defense is also imperative. Their Champions League journey could conclude next week if these elements don’t align.
