Champions League: PSG Eliminates Lionel Messi and Barcelona

The UEFA Champions League‘s second leg continued on Wednesday with a high-profile match between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. Barca struggled during the match, missing multiple scoring opportunities. Time expired with a 1-1 draw, sending PSG to the quarterfinals based on a 5-2 aggregate.

Barca entered the second leg of the Champions League, needing to make up ground. The team had previously lost 4-1 to PSG during the first leg after Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick. The Messi-led squad appeared to be en route to a comeback effort while possessing the ball for over 70% of the time and creating 21 shots. However, the team could not take advantage of the opportunities and headed home disappointed.

Messi, the team’s biggest name, impressed with an impressive goal. He took a pass and dribbled directly toward a triangle of PSG defenders. The goalie leaped into the air and tried to deflect the ball but could not prevent the goal. This play marked Messi’s 120th goal in the Champions League and continued to build upon his legacy.

While the football legend impressed mightily with his goal, he struggled at a different point in the match. Messi missed a penalty kick that would have greatly benefited his squad. This miss kept the match at a 1-1 draw instead of giving Barca the lead entering the half.

Mbappe, the man responsible for three goals during the first leg, impressed once again. He continued to prove why he is one of the sport’s exciting young stars, notching yet another goal against Barca and putting PSG up early. He also made Champions League history.

With the aggregate win, PSG will now head to April’s quarterfinals, joining Porto and Borussia Dortmund. Both teams booked their trips to the next stage of the Champions League with strong performances on Tuesday. Liverpool then rounded out the group with a dominant 2-0 win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday. The Reds held a 2-0 advantage heading into the second leg and took care of business once again.