Andreas Christensen scored a late winner with his first touch after coming off the bench as Barcelona used their super subs to beat PSG 3-2 to take control of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
A brilliant night at the Parc des Princes started with PSG dominating the opening 15 minutes with six shots on goal, but they were behind at half-time thanks to Raphinha’s breakaway goal (37).
But PSG came out firing after the break as two goals in the space of two minutes and 13 seconds from Ousmane Dembele (48) and Vitinha (50) turned the match on its head.
Then came the arrival of Barcelona’s super subs as Pedri emerged off the bench and – with his first touches – set up Raphinha (62) for an equaliser via a stunning volley.
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PSG then hit the woodwork twice through Bradley Barcola and Dembele, but former Chelsea defender Christensen (77) nodded in the match-settling goal from close range from a corner just seconds after entering the pitch.
It rounded off a topsy-turvy first-leg encounter, ahead of the decisive return fixture in Barcelona next week.
In the other game, Atletico Madrid held off a late Borussia Dortmund fightback to hold a slender advantage after the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Diego Simeone’s side made a blistering start at Estadio Metropolitano and Rodrigo de Paul put them in front in the fourth minute after intercepting Ian Maatsen’s loose pass as Dortmund tried to play their way out of an aggressive Atletico press.
The visitors looked extremely nervous early on and just when it appeared they had settled into the game, another defensive mix-up allowed wing-back Samuel Lino to collect Antoine Griezmann’s scooped pass and calmly slot home Atletico’s second.
Dortmund improved late in the first half and again after the break but it took a fantastic save from Gregor Kobel to deny Lino a second from point-blank range as he ghosted in at the back post.
Having so nearly been out of the tie, Dortmund were right back in it soon afterwards when substitute Sebastien Haller swivelled to crash the ball in at the near post.
That goal sparked a thrilling conclusion to the match with Mats Hummels, on his 500th Dortmund appearance, atoning for his own error to get back and affect Angel Correa’s shot with the Atletico forward through on goal.
Moments later, 19-year-old English winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens came within inches of bringing Dortmund level when his fierce left-foot strike hit the crossbar via a deflection off Cesar Azpilicueta.
Edin Terzic’s side came even closer with the last action of the game as another substitute, Julian Brandt, leapt to meet Julian Ryerson’s cross but saw his header bounce back off the angle of bar and post with Jan Oblak beaten.
Having survived those late scares, Atletico have the edge going into the second leg at Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion next Tuesday.
