PSG vs. Barcelona Player Ratings: Reigning Champions End Barca’s Perfect Season in Thriller

In one of the best games of the early season, reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain handed Barcelona their first defeat of the season with a brilliant 4–2 win that sends a statement of intent for the rest of European soccer: The Champions League monarchs remain the team to beat this season.

As expected, Barcelona and PSG traded blows in an end-to-end affair from the start. However, it was the hosts who looked the better side and created the most dangerous chances of the first half.

Joan García had done brilliantly to keep the game scoreless but there was nothing he could do to deny Désiré Doué’s perfectly placed shot from the edge of the box 38 minutes in following a dreadful Lamine Yamal turnover.

The second half was an absolute thriller. Xavi Espart equalized for an improved Barça 10 minutes after the restart before Lucas Hernández restored PSG’s lead with a powerful header 72 minutes in. Hansi Flick’s side responded in the 77th minute thanks to a stellar finish from Yamal.

But just when it seemed like Barcelona could complete their comeback, the reigning champions answered and Vitinha scored a wonderful goal just two minutes later. Fabián Ruiz buried the nail in Barcelona’s coffin when he strolled behind João Cancelo at the back post to tap-in an Achraf Hakimi cross.

The pair of European juggernauts delivered an epic clash on Tuesday, but in the end, Luis Enrique’s men showed Barcelona they still have plenty to improve on before they can truly challenge them for the Champions League crown.

Winners and Losers

Winners

In a game that featured some of the biggest stars in world soccer, none shone brighter than Désiré Doué. The winger scored a stellar opener, assisted his team’s second and was the best player on the pitch for his 78 minutes in the game. What a player.

PSG’s dominant midfield trio of João Neves, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz also stole the show against Barcelona. Although the Catalans didn’t have their top-choice midfield at any point during the game, the Parisian engine room showcased why it’s considered the best in the world—even above Barça’s stellar midfield.

Xavi Espart delivered a brilliant performance on the biggest stage of his young career. The La Masia graduate was flawless defensively and scored his maiden Champions League goal. His quality was never in doubt, but he demonstrated he is also capable of producing under immense pressure.

Losers

Barcelona suffered defensively throughout the game, but nobody had a worse performance than João Cancelo. The fullback’s known defensive deficiencies were exploited and he completely lost Ruiz in the action that sealed the result for PSG. On the ball, he equally struggled in what was his worst performance since returning to Barcelona earlier this year.

Both Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi have had stellar starts to the year, but the pair offered next to nothing on Tuesday. On the other end, Ferran Torres failed to make an impression, missing three clear chances against his former club.

The victory took a toll on PSG, with the trio of Ousmane Dembélé, Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia exiting the pitch with injuries. For Barcelona, Dani Olmo also had to be withdrawn with an early injury.

PSG Player Ratings vs. Barcelona (4-3-3)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Matvey Safonov—6.3: Brilliantly held his ground one-on-one against Fermín López in the first half, but his positioning could’ve been much better to deny Espart’s and Yamal’s equalizers at his near-post.

RB: Achraf Hakimi—8.2: Essentially disregarded any defensive duties and spent much of the game creating in the final third, leaving Anthony Gordon for Marquinhos to mark. Assisted Ruiz’s dagger.

CB: Marquinhos—6.7: Continues to age like fine wine. He often found himself on an island against Gordon but more than held his own against the speedy winger. In the end, though, the taxing effort resulted in him leaving the pitch with a muscular issue.

CB: Willian Pacho—6.5: Put his body on the line and got kicked in the face in a heroic intervention to deny López.

LB: Lucas Hernández—8.0: Stayed tight on Yamal all game and then crowned his night with a powerful header to score PSG’s second.

CM: João Neves—8.7: After getting dropped against Manchester City last week, the diminutive midfielder looked back to his best in his return to the XI. Had a mouthwatering clash with Pedri all game. Crashed the box constantly and delivered a stellar performance overall.

CM: Vitinha—7.8: PSG were at their best when their midfield maestro orchestrated the team’s possessions. When given time to drop deep and pick out passes, the hosts looked at their most dangerous. He then scored a fantastic winner to restore PSG’s lead after Yamal’s equalizer.

CM: Fabián Ruiz—8.6: Some clever passes from deep sparked PSG’s counter attacks. Enjoyed himself all game and secured the result with a late tap-in.

RW: Désiré Doué—8.9: Got the better of João Cancelo for much of the game, scored a stellar goal and then assisted another. Brilliant from the winger.

ST: Ousmane Dembélé—6.5: Had a bright start but lasted less than 20 minutes on the pitch, withdrawn with an apparent hamstring injury after a burst of speed.

LW: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—7.8: Slammed the post inside the opening three minutes. Injury forced him off as well.

SUB: Ferran Torres (20’ for Dembélé)—6.6: Missed three sitters during his cameo, a sight Barcelona fans became used to for much of his career in Catalonia.

SUB: Ilya Zabarnyi (59’ for Marquinhos)—6.3: Did well replacing PSG’s injured captain.

SUB: Maghnes Akliouche (59’ for Kvaratskhelia)—6.7: Had a few flashes but his best work came when he tracked back to defend.

SUB: Senny Mayulu (78’ for Doué)—6.1: Attempted just four passes during his cameo.

SUB: Warren Zaire-Emery (78’ for Hernández)—5.0: Misjudged a long ball and was then beaten for Yamal in the action of Barcelona’s second.

Subs not used: Adam Mouak (GK), Lucas Chevalier (GK), Ilia Zabarnyi, Lucas Digne, Lucas Beraldo, Dro Fernández, Quentin Ndjantou, Mika Godts.

Barcelona Player Ratings vs. PSG (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: Joan García—7.3: Despite conceding four goals, this was García’s best performance of the term, registering 10 total saves including a handful of jaw-dropping ones.

RB: Xavi Espart—7.7: Simply fantastic in the most high-stakes games of his young career. Got the better of the always dangerous Kvaratskhelia down the right flank and then momentarily equalized for Barça with a brilliant run.

CB: Pau Cubarsí—5.4: Did well defending open space which was previously one of the major weaknesses of his game. Still, he significantly struggled late when the hosts pressed the accelerator.

CB: Gerard Martín—5.7: Didn’t inspire much confidence in possession and was overwhelmed defending PSG’s transitions.

LB: João Cancelo—5.4: Shaky from the start, misplacing routine passes in the build-up and getting booked early for an unnecessary challenge on Doué. He then allowed Ruiz to waltz by him at the back post for PSG’s fourth. Nightmare night.

CM: Marc Bernal—6.6: Although Bernal was fine overall, he couldn’t replicate what Rodri offers, especially out of possession. Constantly a step too late when he jumped to press and PSG exploited the space he left behind.

CM: Pedri—7.2: The regularly press-resistant midfielder was relentlessly hounded by PSG players whenever he received the ball. After a nervy start, he improved considerably and ran the show for the remainder of his cameo.

RW: Lamine Yamal—7.9: Flashed his quality but a simply egregious turnover deep inside his own half led to Doué’s opener. He struggled overall but improved in the second half and scored a great individual goal that counted for very little in the end.

AM: Dani Olmo—6.5: One of the best players on the Parc des Princes pitch early on. Cleverly operated behind PSG’s aggressive midfield trio and was sharp on the ball, seemingly always making the right pass in the final third. Nearly score a brilliant opener. Unfortunately, he lasted only 25 minutes before sustaining an injury.

LW: Anthony Gordon—6.2: Granted acres of space regularly but he could do little against the timeless Marquinhos. Failed to get much of anything going.

ST: Raphinha—7.0: Never got tired of making runs in behind but he either didn’t get the ball or was missing just one final move to get a shot off. He still looks slightly rusty.

SUB: Fermín López (27’ for Olmo)—6.7: Missed a dream chance to equalize late in the first half. Failed to get involved thereafter but he did assist Espart’s goal.

SUB: Gavi (60’ for Pedri)—6.3: Nearly scored soon after coming on and didn’t misplace a single pass.

SUB: Karim Adeyemi (60’ for Raphinha)—6.4: Erratic in the final action.

SUB: Rodri (60’ for Bernal)—6.5: Struggled to match the intensity of the match since coming on.

SUB: Alejandro Balde (74’ for Espart)—6.4: Did well whenever forced to intervene defensively.

Subs not used: Dominik Livaković (GK), Wojciech Szczęsny (GK), Brian Fariñas, Álex Campos, Hamza Abdelkarim, Frenkie de Jong, Gabriel Jesus.

What the Ratings Tell Us

• PSG will be forced to dig deep and exploit their deep squad in upcoming matches given it looks like Dembélé, Marquinhos and Kvaratskhelia will miss some time—the latter’s injury is especially worrisome given he couldn’t put weight on his leg as he left the pitch.
• Warren Zaire-Emery had seemingly usurped the starting job from João Neves in recent games. After tonight, the Portuguese midfielder made it clear he’s still the best option.
• Barcelona better hope Jules Koundé and Joan García make speedy recoveries because their backline didn’t just look subpar on Tuesday; it also looked worryingly exhausted late in the game. Not a great omen with so much of the season still ahead.
• Instead of helping Barcelona assume control of the game, Rodri looked far from his best during his cameo. Barcelona better hope he’s not nursing a major fitness issue, because their season could be derailed without him in top form.

The Numbers That Explain PSG’s Deserved Win

• The hosts had a higher xG, more shots, more attempts on goal and created more big chances than the visitors—the first time all season Barcelona failed to win any of those statistical categories.
• PSG had 15 shots on goal compared to Barcelona’s five.
• Barcelona failed to score a first half goal for the first time all season. Incredibly, the usually dominant Catalans lost the possession battle in the first half against the Parisians.