'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kylian Mbappe was the star of the show as Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Barcelona 4-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 fixture at Camp Nou.
The big news in the buildup to this game was Neymar's absence through injury and Gerard Pique's return to the starting lineup after three months out of action.
A bright start to the game saw both sides fashion notable chances. Antoine Griezmann saw his shot saved by Keylor Navas from an acute angle, while Mauro Icardi's sliced shot was cleared off the line.
Barcelona were awarded a penalty when Layvin Kurzawa clumsily brought down Frenkie de Jong in the area. Lionel Messi stepped up to calmly dispatch the spot-kick and put the hosts one goal up in the 27th minute.
Trending
Their lead, however, lasted just five minutes as a brilliant team move ended with Kylian Mbappe dribbling across the Barcelona defence before firing past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
The Barcelona goalkeeper produced several fine saves throughout the first half to ensure both sides went into the break level.
The second half saw the visitors up the ante with a host of chances created. However, they met an impenetrable obstacle in Ter Stegen.
Stunning reflexes were produced to deny Moise Kean, Kurzawa and Mauro Icardi. However, PSG took the lead in the 65th minute after a well-worked move down the right flank.
Alessandro Florenzi put in a delightful cross into the box, and Mbappe was on hand to convert after Gerard Pique's poor clearance had fallen into his path. There were complaints of offside from the Barcelona defenders but the goal was upheld after consultations with the VAR.
The visitors doubled their lead just five minutes later when Moise Kean rose highest to head home a set-piece by Leandro Paredes and put PSG 3-1 up.
Ronald Koeman made an immediate change, with Oscar Mingueza coming on for Sergino Dest. Three further changes were made by the Barcelona manager on the 78th-minute mark, but they failed to have any desired impact on the game.
Instead, it was the French champions who scored another goal in the 85th minute. A quick break saw Julian Draxler draw the Barcelona defenders to himself before teeing up Mbappe, who grabbed his hat-trick with an emphatic right-footed finish from 16 yards.
The victory gives PSG the advantage heading into the return leg in Paris in three weeks' time.
Here are five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Dominant PSG good value for their victory
PSG have flattered to deceive for most of the season and came into this clash sitting second in Ligue 1.
This is an unfamiliar position for the perennial league champions, and few would have given them any chance against Lionel Messi and co.
However, Barcelona themselves have been far from their dominant best, and this represented a perfect opportunity for the French champions to make their mark.
When the hosts raced into an early lead, it might have seemed like another Champions League away defeat was in the offing for PSG.
Despite the early setback, the visitors rallied and drew level within five minutes. From then on, it was practically one-way traffic, with Mauricio Pochettino's men asking all the questions.
They played their hosts off their own perch and would have had a more emphatic victory but for some fine goalkeeping by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
In total, the Parc des Princes outfit had 16 shots, with nine of those hitting the target, compared to 12 and four for Barcelona.
Despite missing the services of key players like Neymar and Angel di Maria, PSG's utter dominance of Barcelona at Camp Nou sends a statement of intent to the rest of the continent about their readiness to claim top spot.
#4 Barcelona left needing a miracle to save their season
In the buildup to this clash, Ronald Koeman insisted that he could not see many teams better than his side on the continent.
The Dutch tactician maintained that his team were one of the most in-form teams in Europe and boasted that they could go toe-to-toe with any side on the continent.
In fairness to the 57-year-old, the Blaugrana came into this clash on the back of a 12-game unbeaten run, which is the second-longest unbeaten streak in Europe's top five leagues.
Each of those last seven games has ended in a victory for the Catalans but this excellent statistic does not tell the full story.
Barcelona currently find themselves off the pace in La Liga, with an eight-point deficit on Atletico Madrid - having played one more game. They also recently suffered a harrowing 2-0 defeat to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey first leg.
This leaves the UEFA Champions League as their only ostensible hope for a trophy this season.
In many ways, recent impressive victories have helped paper over the cracks at Barcelona. However, this dire display against PSG exposed how bad things currently are at Camp Nou.
Barring a miracle in the return fixture, it is highly likely that Barcelona will end the season trophyless for the second consecutive season.
#3 Returning Gerard Pique fails to make his presence felt upon return for Barcelona
Gerard Pique has been out of action for Barcelona since suffering a serious knee injury against Atletico Madrid on 21 November last year.
The former Spain international is unarguably one of the best defenders of his generation, and Ronald Koeman was forced to field inexperienced defenders in his absence.
Pique's return to full fitness came in handy as Barcelona squared off against one of the biggest sides on the continent. Koeman drafted the World Cup winner straight into the starting lineup in a bid to provide much-needed guidance to the backline.
This, however, failed to happen, as the Barcelona defence was breached time and again with consummate ease. The 34-year-old continually failed to track the run of Kylian Mbappe, while his weak clearance put the ball on a plate for PSG's second goal.
#2 Lionel Messi fails to turn up when it matters most once again
Lionel Messi opened the scoring on the night but that proved to be his only notable contribution in the game.
For the rest of the fixture, the Argentina international was largely on the periphery and failed to work his customary magic on the PSG defence.
To make matters worse, the Rosario native was dispossessed in the buildup to the visitors' fourth goal. His lack of application in trying to win the ball back highlighted his disinterest in the game.
The Barcelona captain came into this game having scored a brace in the 5-1 demolition of Alaves last weekend. However, this has been a major stick with which detractors have beaten him this season.
It is one thing to score braces and have a hand in four goals against the Eibars and Granadas of this world with nothing at stake. However, it is an entirely different ball game to step up to the plate when it matters most against the biggest clubs on the continent.
His relative no-show against PSG adds to the growing list of elite sides that Lionel Messi has failed to make a mark against. He has drawn blanks in open play against Juventus, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla this season.
Lionel Messi's status as a bonafide game-changer is not in doubt but with his Barcelona teammates struggling around him, the six-time Ballon d'Or winner failed to provide the spark needed.
#1 Kylian Mbappe steps up to the plate in the absence of Neymar
While Messi floundered for Barcelona, Kylian Mbappe picked up the goalscoring mantle in the absence of his marquee teammates.
PSG came into this clash without the services of Angel di Maria and Neymar due to injury. Both men are integral parts of the club's attacking force, and the visitors were significantly weaker without them.
Kylian Mbappe is widely regarded as the best player of his generation and a future Ballon d'Or winner in the making. However, the last year has not gone to plan for the Frenchman, particularly on the continent.
He had earlier gone nine games without a goal in the UEFA Champions League before breaking his drought in the final group game last year.
The clash with Barcelona offered him the opportunity to remind everyone of his abilities, and he did so with consummate ease. Mbappe ended the game with a hat-trick and proved to be a difference-maker amidst several world-class players.
The World Cup winner stepped up to the plate when it mattered most at one of the most hallowed grounds in continental football.
His brace made him the first visiting player to score two UEFA Champions League knockout goals at Camp Nou.
His hat-trick saw him become only the third player to score a UCL hat-trick against Barcelona, after Faustino Asprilla for Newcastle and Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kyiv (both in 1997).
It also saw him become the third-highest goalscorer in PSG's history, which is rather significant considering that he joined the club less than four years ago.
His feat was made all the more impressive considering that Neymar and Angel di Maria were not available.
If anyone was in doubt about Mbappe's abilities, his performance against Barcelona served as a timely reminder of why he is regarded as the heir to the Messi-Ronaldo throne.
