It was a night when Raphinha outshone Kylian Mbappe, and gave the Real Madrid bound forward a taste of what he could expect if and when he joins Los Blancos.
Barcelona emerged triumphant from their Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie against Paris Saint-Germain, though only by the slenderest of margins.
The French giants certainly have enough fire power to trouble the Catalans in the return next week, and it should make for another absorbing contest.
Barcelona player ratings
Ter Stegen (7) – Couldn’t do anything about Ousmane Dembele’s goal, but was solid for the most part and commanding in his area.
Joao Cancelo (5) – Got forward well at times though fluffed a few chances when well placed.
Ronald Araujo (7) – Solid as a rock at the back and an aerial threat at the opposite end of the pitch too. Kept Kylian Mbappe quiet.
Pau Cubarsi (9) – Along with Raphinha, the youngster produced a man-of-the-match performance. Looked accomplished and experienced throughout.
Jules Kounde (6) – Flat footed at the start of the second half when PSG made their visitors pay, but solid enough when it mattered.
Frenkie de Jong (7) – Was at the heart of Barca’s play each time they moved forward. Eased through the gears and proved to be the fulcrum across the 90 minutes.
Ilkay Gundogan (4) – A quiet game from the German, a couple of decent through balls notwithstanding.
Sergi Roberto (4) – Booked in the first half, ruling him out of the return leg next week. Didn’t do an awful lot to write home about.
Raphinha (9) – Brilliant going forward and took his goals with aplomb, particularly a world-class second. One of his best games in a Barca shirt.
Lamine Yamal (8) – Ran at his opposite number whenever he had the chance, belying his 16 years and lack of experience in a match of this magnitude.
Robert Lewandowski (6) – Didn’t get too much service but was a thorn in the PSG defence when he got the chance.
Subs:
Joao Felix (5) – Given 30 minutes to work his magic but disappointed once again on the big stage.
Pedri (7) – Came on at the same time as Joao Felix and played the pass of the match to set up Raphinha for his second.
Andreas Christensen (5) – Scored with his first touch to ultimately win the match for Barca but then got himself booked and will miss the second leg.
Ferran Torres (4) – Was busy if not effective in his 15 minutes on the pitch.
Fermin Lopez (3) – Hardly any time on the pitch and unable to affect play.
