Raphinha Brace Helps Barcelona Secure 3-2 First Leg Advantage Against PSG in the UEFA Quarterfinals

Barcelona has made a significant stride towards securing a place in this season's Champions League semi-finals, thanks to the two goals scored by Brazilian forward Raphinha. His contribution helped Barcelona secure a 3-2 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday. Follow more sports news here.

The Parc des Princes witnessed an exciting match where PSG dominated the opening 15 minutes with six shots on goal. However, they were unable to score and went behind before halftime, when Brazilian forward Raphinha scored a goal in the 37th minute. 

After the break, PSG came out stronger and scored two goals in quick succession through Ousmane Dembele in the 48th minute, and Vitinha stroked the ball two minutes later from a quick counterattack to give the host a 2-1 lead.

However, Raphinha scored a beautiful volley in the 62nd minute, connecting with an excellent long pass from substitute Pedri. This goal brought the scoreline to 2-2 and silenced the home crowd. Later, Andreas Christensen took advantage of a static Donnarumma, jumping unchallenged in the six-yard box to head in from a corner 13 minutes before the end of the game. This goal gave the Spanish side a narrow advantage going into next week's second leg.

"It's a big win, of course, playing a game away in the Champions League. But we are missing one game in Barcelona. We did really well in defence and attack. Especially in defence, everyone worked for the team. Tactically, we did really, really well. The wingers helped us a lot. [Pau] Cubarsi jumped so well [up to face] Kang-In Lee, sometimes to [Marco] Asensio because they changed a lot of players. "We defended so well against Mbappe, with [Jules] Kounde and Ronald Araujo. And we created so many chances. Raphinha made the difference, then the players that came [on] helped us really well, especially Pedri. So I'm very happy and proud of the team.

Barcelona manager Xavi said,

"We did so well. It's a big win, but it's just hard work. Having one game in Barcelona will be really tough because PSG is one of the best teams in Europe right now. "We have to be proud [of our academy]. Cubarsi is 17, Yamal is 16. Fermin [Lopez] is a new player here. Players from La Masia have more commitment with the team. I'm really happy, because it's a new Barca but we are in a good way, I think. "We are halfway there to the next round. It's a small advantage but a big win. We need to do well against Cadiz [at the weekend] then we're at home for the second leg.

Xavi continues

Barcelona's next game will see the Catalans play Cadiz in La Liga on Saturday at 8 p.m. Before facing the Ligue 1 champions in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday, April 16.