Paris Saint-Germain has finally shattered its UEFA Champions League quarterfinal curse. The French giants, long haunted by exits at this stage, booked their place in the last four with a gritty 4-1 comeback victory over Barcelona at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, sealing a 6-4 aggregate triumph.
The tie turned on a dramatic first-half red card. Leading 1-0 on the night and 4-2 on aggregate after Raphinha’s 12th-minute opener, Barcelona’s fortunes collapsed when defender Ronald Araújo was sent off in the 29th minute for a last-man foul on Bradley Barcola.
PSG capitalized immediately. Ousmane Dembélé struck against his former club just before halftime, and the momentum swung completely after the break. The visitors took the lead through a 54th-minute goal from the prolific Vitinha.
Kylian Mbappé, relatively quiet in the first leg, then took center stage. He converted a penalty in the 61st minute to put PSG ahead on aggregate for the first time, before sealing the historic win with a second goal in the 89th minute.
This victory ends a painful cycle for PSG. They had been eliminated in the round of 16 or quarterfinals in each of the last seven seasons, falling at this specific hurdle in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2023. Now, under manager Luis Enrique, they have broken through.
“We are very happy, we have overcome a mental barrier today,” said captain Marquinhos after the match. “We believed until the end. This is a great step for the club, but we want more.”
PSG’s win makes them the only former quarterfinal casualty from this year’s last eight to progress. They now await the winner of the tie between Atlético Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, with the first leg of the semifinals set for 30 April and 1 May 2024.
