Messi scores and misses penalty as Barca bow out of Champions League to PSG




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PSG survived a first-half onslaught from Barcelona, where Lionel Messi scored but missed a penalty, to draw 1-1 and progress 5-2 on aggregate in the Champions League.

Ronald Koeman’s side needed to score four goals for the tie to swing in their favour in Paris and started like a team capable of producing them with Osama Dembele wasting some glorious early chances.

It was to be PSG who opened the scoring when referee Antony Taylor awarded a penalty via the use of the pitchside monitor to deem that Mauro Icardi had been fouled off the ball by Clement Lenglet. The penalty was dispatched by Kylian Mbappe as he became the youngest player in Champions League history to reach 25 goals in the competition, taking the mantle from Messi.

Despite falling behind, Barcelona remained positive and Messi thrashed home a fabulous strike to inspire some hope but that hope faded away when his penalty was saved by Keylor Navas just before half-time.

The Spanish giants needed three second-half goals to force extra-time but PSG were much better organised after the break and restricted Messi’s influence on the game.

Player Ratings

PSG: Navas (8), Florenzi (6), Marquinhos (7), Kimpembe (6), Kurzawa (4), Gueye (5), Paredes (6), Draxler (6), Verratti (6), Mbappe (7), Icardi (6)

Subs: Diallo (7), Danilo (7), Di Maria (6), Dagba (6)

Barcelona: Ter Stegen (7), Mingueza (7), Lenglet (7), De Jong (7), Dest (7), Busquets (8), Pedri (7), Jordi Alba (7), Messi (7), Griezmann (7), Dembele (5)

Subs: Pjanic (6), Braithwaite (6), Junior (7), Trincao (6)

Man of the match: Keylor Navas

This will be the first Champions League season without a Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo side in the quarter-finals since 2004/05.

PSG will find out their opponents in the last eight on Friday, March 19 when the draw is made.