Amidst a week that saw the club keep their place atop La Liga while beginning the search for a new manager next season, Barcelona completed a magical comeback in their UEFA Champions League Round of 16 series against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening.
Down 4-0 from the first leg, the Blaugrana earned a 6-1 victory to advance to the tournament’s quarter-final round 6-5 on aggregate.
Barcelona Complete Miraculous Advancement in the Champions League
The Ligue 1 title-holders certainly came into the fixture with confidence, but ended in bitter disappointment for manager Unai Emery’s side. Ultimately, a poor defensive showing and a master-class performance from Barcelona led to the greatest comeback in the history of the Champions League.
A goal from Luis Suarez in the third minute gave the home side immediate hope, as the atmosphere at the Camp Nou began to grow louder and more intense. An own-goal (40’) made the score 2-0 at half-time, with Lionel Messi (50’) adding a penalty soon after the start of the second half.
All appeared to be lost for the Cules when PSG striker Edinson Cavani scored a crucial away goal, but the final minutes from Catalonia were truly a special moment in football history.
Two goals from Neymar (88’, 90’) levelled the encounter on aggregate, with Sergi Roberto slotting home the winner five minutes into stoppage-time.
The celebrations from home supporters could be felt with tremendous passion, as Barcelona found a way to the quarter-final round when advancement surely seemed impossible.
A launch towards success
With manager Luis Enrique stepping away from the club at the end of the season, there appeared to be a chance that the current term could be filled with frustration for Barcelona.
Instead, the incredibly resilient side are on top of the Spanish top flight and may have just gained the type of momentum that could carry them to even greater heights in the Champions League.
Barcelona are scoring goals at an astonishing rate in recent matches, tallying 17 in their last three fixtures across all competitions.
With a historic victory behind them and world-class quality within the squad, the 2016-17 season could end up being unforgettable for Luis Enrique and Barcelona.
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