Paris Saint-Germain 2 Barcelona 2: It was the final kick of the match when Blaise Matuidi gave Paris Saint-Germain the encouragement to believe this tie might not be over. The shot was deflected and Victor Valdes in Barcelona's goal could not improvise quickly enough to stop it squirming over the line to cap a remarkable finale comprising three goals in the last 10 minutes.
Barcelona will go into the second leg in a considerable position of strength but they will also consider that it should have been much better bearing in mind Xavi Hernandez had put them into a 2-1 lead with an 89th-minute penalty.
Whether Lionel Messi will be able to take any part at Camp Nou on Wednesday week has to be uncertain, a hamstring problem meaning he did not re-emerge for the second half. Messi’s contribution is already significant, however, having scored the opening goal in the 38th minute. The French league leaders equalised via Zlatan Ibrahimovic after 79 minutes but then almost contrived to throw it away when the home goalkeeper, Salvatore Sirigu, brought down Alexis Sanchez to give Xavi the chance to restore the lead.
For Barcelona, Dani Alves was outstanding. Ibrahimovic had struggled at times to have a telling impact but played the last half an hour as though he would be personally affronted not to make a lasting contribution. David Beckham lasted 70 minutes but, ultimately, the speed of the game was too much for a player of 37.
Third start
This was Beckham's third start for the club and his first appearance in the Champions League since he left the Old Trafford pitch, as a Milan substitute.
Beckham worked diligently, from the base of midfield, and can probably be excused if his ability to shape matches is not what it used to be. There were some distinguished touches but it was always going to be difficult against a midfield of Barcelona’s refinement. PSG are simply not accustomed to facing sides of this brilliance, or close, in their domestic league.
Barcelona, 13 points clear at the top of La Liga, possess the knowhow of a side who have reached the semi-finals, at least, in each of the past five seasons. PSG, in stark contrast, are sightseers at this level. Their crowd was raucous and Carlo Ancelotti’s players made an encouraging start but this was also Barcelona’s first match with Tito Vilanova back in the dugout after two months of cancer treatment in New York.
Messi, inevitably, was at the hub of it. It is easy sometimes to get lost in the blizzard of statistics surrounding the Argentinian but he has now scored Champions League goals in 20 different cities. In total, that is 258 goals in his past 251 matches for the club or, this season alone, 57 in 45.
The latest was classy in its creation, clinical in its execution, and another reminder of what a devastating finisher he can be. As soon as the chance arrived, it felt almost inevitable that he would finish it.
Visionary pass
Yet this was a goal that also reminded us how, in football, the incisive, visionary pass can be every bit as beautiful as the clinical finish. Alves had spent most of the first half playing as a right-winger rather than the full-back. The pass he delivered with the outside of his right boot was sumptuous, weighted to perfection with just the right amount of curl applied.
A ball that distinguished was always going to be too inviting for Messi to pass up, especially on his left foot.
Ancelotti’s team had broken forward with pace and purpose. They could reflect on the moment, only five minutes in, when the post spared Sergio Busquets from an own goal and there were other times when their counterattacking style created havoc.
Beckham had been substituted by the time Ibrahimovic equalised, turning in the rebound from an offside position after Thiago Silva's header had come back off the post. The former England midfielder had just been booked and was starting to fade just as the game picked up pace again and headed for a thrilling climax.
Guardian Service
