Aveek Chaudhuri, March 11, 2021

Messi and Barcelona are officially out of the Champions League. Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain made sure that La Remontada 2.0 did not happen as PSG and Barca drew 1-1 on Wednesday, giving PSG the 5-2 aggregate win and quarter finals berth. Once again, PSG initially went ahead with a Mbappe penalty in the 30' minute. But the man himself, Messi, leveled the score with a stunning strike to the top left-corner from 30 yards out in the 37’ minute. While this gave Barcelona some hope, it was ultimately not be for the Blaugrana as their repeated attempts to score were foiled, eventually the game ending with both teams level at 1-1, meaning PSG progressed with a 5-2 aggregate score after their first leg 4-1 win. This result also means that for the first time since the 2004-05 Champions League season, neither Ronaldo or Messi will be in the quarterfinals.

Looking for a comeback, Barcelona dominated the game in terms of possession and shot attempts. They held the ball 73% of the time while PSG only had 27% possession. And Barcelona attempted 21 total shots with a solid 10 on target while PSG only attempted 7 all game with 3 on target. Barcelona were successful in the sense of creating goal-scoring chances but the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann ultimately failed them, unable to convert with all the chances being created. While Barcelona peppered the goal with shots, the PSG defense stayed firm with Marquinhos in particular showing up numerous times to deny Barca, having many blocks and clearances. From the game, it was clear that PSG simply looked to defend their lead, not bothering with attacking as much. But for Barca, it was everything or nothing.

Mauricio Pochettino and PSG will certainly be pleased with this result as they move on to the quarterfinals of the Champions League with two well-played legs. And they did all this without their superstar, Neymar, who missed both legs. With Neymar back, PSG will be very threatening and will certainly make a run to become finalists again.

Meanwhile, this result wasn't all bad for Barcelona as it showed a good improvement in form for Ronald Koeman's men. Just a few weeks ago they were battered and bruised at the hands of the Parisians. But now, they hold their own and are playing some of their best football from the entire season. Koeman will surely be pleased with the passion and intensity Barcelona played with and look to continue this in La Liga and the Copa del Rey. One thing is clear, Barcelona are only improving right now.