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The game-clinching goal perfectly encapsulated the style of this game: all-out intensity right to the final whistle. A move that started deep in Paris Saint-Germain's defensive territory, involving the midfielder chasing backwards, spinning, evading pressure, and pushing ahead at his opponents, culminated in Barcelona's penalty area with Gonçalo Ramos guiding the ball under goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. Only 6 seconds remained, it was their 26th attempt of an exhausting yet enjoyable evening, and now the battle was finally over, the home side beaten.

Fierce Struggle from the Kickoff

For an hour the sides attacked each other; for those last 30 minutes, as the Catalans tired, PSG took a step forward, applying the pressure bit by bit, and in the end maybe merit had been done. Primarily, however, the feeling at the time was that the match had been great entertainment and that these are excellent sides, even if the PSG manager's side appear possibly a step ahead, even with illustrious missing players, the award recipient, Ousmane Dembélé, among them. All over the field there were players who caught the eye, both for their work rate as the technique, the tempo at which everything occurred, the aggression in every action.

They had been at one another's faces from the beginning. Fabián Ruiz kicked the ball directly out of bounds from his kick-off, with his colleagues sprinting for it together, pressing Barcelona from the initial throw. Torres, urged by the crowd, then tackled on PSG's shot-stopper Lucas Chevalier after only 35 moments.

Lamine Yamal Impresses with Breathtaking Skill

Assuming the early tackle was a statement of purpose, then this was something else. Audacious is a term for it. Achraf Hakimi had warned that on this occasion the winger would be facing one of the planet's top full-back and that, anyway, PSG would aim not to leave Nuno Mendes isolated. Yet the very first occasion he received a ball the youngster took on three of them instead, turning after eighty-five seconds, including a spin, to create an opportunity for the forward.

On the next occasion he collected a ball, a feint of his shoulder almost took Yamal clear from Mendes once more but the opponent to regain position quickly. Next a superb through ball with his exterior of the boot, curling by multiple markers and into a ideal position similar to an ice stone gliding home across a sheet, found Torres. The forward ran round Chevalier and cut his shot towards what he thought was then an unguarded goal only for Illia Zabarnyi to fly back and stop it.

Barca Grabs First Advantage

When Barcelona took an advantage on eighteen minutes played it had started with Lamine Yamal too, but its key contribution originated from the other flank and a ever known source. Lamine Yamal was quickest to the free ball; he found Pedri and that playmaker directed it towards Rashford, arriving on his left, whose first-time pass was perfectly timed for Torres to steer into an open net. In the sixth successive game Rashford had a direct goal contribution, the stadium roaring. Soon after, he had another shot blocked. The attacker sped to almost set up Dani Olmo just before half-time too.

At that point PSG were level. A man for whom “defender” is an woefully insufficient description, Nuno Mendes came flying out the back, running past opponents like an elite athlete at an amateur school sports day. Frenkie de Jong took the full-back down on that occasion, but the set of cleats on Mendes’s heel didn’t stop the defender doing it again moments later, flying by Jules Koundé, and this time it ended with a ball in Barcelona's goal.

Moving gracefully clear from Pau Cubarsi to collect a pass, Senny Mayulu finished coolly. Their opponents should have taken the lead prior to the interval too, but when Barcola escaped Gerard Martín in their box he fired over.

End-to-End Action Persists

Still they continued battling. Fast feet allowed Barcola to rattle off another effort that Szczesny beat away at the front post, Cubarsi blocked the wing-back and one excellent challenge from García rescued his team one second and released them immediately after, the defender's pass forward sending the forward racing down the opposite other end to release Yamal, who was only halted by an illegal double-team challenge right on the very edge of the penalty box. Almost straight away, another sprint and a beautifully delivered cross-field ball from Rashford found the youngster again to set up Olmo; the defender produced a superb deflection almost on the goal-line.

However PSG were beginning to shift the balance. Lee cut inside and struck the post. The full-back had a header saved and later, with time slipping away, and Lee chased down, his work rate commendable to the last, he succeeded to escape to initiate one last attack. There was the playmaker, as always, making sense of it everything. And there too was the wing-back out on the right flank somehow still {running