PARIS, FRANCE – OCTOBER 19: Angel Di Maria of PSG celebrates scoring his teams first goal of the game during the Group A, UEFA Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain Football Club and Fussball Club Basel 1893 at Parc des Princes on October 19, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

PSG systematically dismantles Barcelona 4-0 in Champions League round of 16

Nobody expected this. Even those who felt PSG were to somehow defeat Barcelona didn’t expect to win like this.

PSG defeated Barcelona 4-0 in the opening leg of the Champions League round of 16. PSG didn’t just beat Barcelona, they destroyed them. With just 43% (which is a lot against Barcelona) and a 10-1 advantage in shots on target, PSG took control early, took control often and kept control throughout the entire game.

First, Angel Di Maria took advantage of a weakened Barcelona wall and grabbed the early lead.

Then PSG got a goal in open play as some fantastic passing led to Julian Draxler finishing from the right side of the box five minutes before halftime to go up 2-0.

Heading into halftime up 2-0, the next goal would likely dictate the rest of the round. Barcelona was down 2-0 but an away goal would at least keep things competitive for the second leg. That went out the window as Di Maria scored his second goal to put PSG up 3-0.

Then to cap it off, Edinson Cavani put PSG up 4-0 and seal the big upset.

Barcelona is in a world of hurt. A favorite to win the Champions League, Barcelona now has to face a near impossible situation if is required to do something that has never been done. They must score at least four goals in the second leg to tie and five to win. But if PSG just gets a goal, Barcelona would need to score six. And considering nobody has ever come back from four goals down to advance, Barcelona will most likely fail to get out of the round of 16 for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp

Quantcast