PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain brought Barcelona’s flawless start to the season to a grinding halt Tuesday, using two late goals to secure a pulsating 4-2 Champions League victory at the Parc des Princes.
Vitinha put the reigning European champions ahead to stay with an 81st-minute strike from outside the penalty box, and Fabián Ruiz sealed the win five minutes later. The back-and-forth contest ended an 11-match winning streak across all competitions for the Spanish league leaders and kept Luis Enrique’s PSG squad atop the league-phase standings with nine points through three games.
Late Fireworks in Paris
Désiré Doué opened the scoring for the hosts in the 38th minute, driving a low strike into the corner after an errant pass from Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. Barcelona pushed back after halftime when 19-year-old Xavi Espart netted on his tournament debut, leveling the score at 1-1, according to Football Today.
Lucas Hernández temporarily restored the French club’s lead in the 72nd minute with a header off a corner kick, but Yamal answered seven minutes later with a dazzling solo run past Warren Zaïre-Emery, blasting his shot past PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to make it 2-2. Vitinha answered almost immediately, and Ruiz finished off a low cross from Achraf Hakimi to complete the scoring.
The victory came at a physical cost for the hosts. Reigning Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé limped off in the 20th minute with a hamstring injury, and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia had to be carried off by medical personnel following a heavy collision in the second half, ESPN reported.
English Heavyweights Cruise and Scramble
In Manchester, Phil Foden delivered a hat trick to power Manchester City past AEK Athens 5-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Elliot Anderson scored his first goal for the club and Rayan Cherki also found the net, while Stavros Pilios managed the lone response for the Greek visitors, the Associated Press reported.
With superstar striker Erling Haaland resting on the bench, City manager Enzo Maresca saw his squad dominate the pitch, though the match was played in front of a noticeably sparse crowd of 40,042 in the newly expanded 61,000-seat stadium.
“I think the ones that were in the stadium, they were good,” Maresca told reporters, according to the AP. AEK manager Marko Nikolić praised his traveling supporters, calling it an obligation for his team “to be a bit more brave” in future outings.
Meanwhile at Anfield, Liverpool overcame an early two-goal deficit to defeat Villarreal 4-3. After falling behind 2-0 inside the opening 29 minutes, the Reds tied the match through Ronald Araújo in first-half stoppage time before quick second-half strikes from Alexis Mac Allister and Florian Wirtz put the English side ahead for good, Yahoo Sports reported.
Around Europe
Across the continent’s other Matchday 3 matchups, Scott McTominay scored twice to lead Napoli to a 4-3 victory over Norway’s Bodø/Glimt. In Azerbaijan, Serhou Guirassy scored his 23rd Champions League goal to help Borussia Dortmund edge Sabah 2-1.
Elsewhere, Roma cruised past Slovan Bratislava 4-0, PSV squeezed past Porto 1-0, Stuttgart held Atlético Madrid to a 1-1 draw, and Slavia Prague salvaged a 2-2 draw with Fenerbahçe courtesy of a 90th-minute goal from Pavel Kacor.
Both European giants from Tuesday’s marquee matchup will quickly turn to domestic rivalries this weekend. PSG travels to take on French league leader Lyon on Sunday, while Barcelona hosts Real Madrid in El Clásico.
