Paris Saint-Germain have dumped Barcelona out of the Champions League as Kylian Mbappe scored twice in 4-1 victory on Tuesday night
The result means PSG entered the semi-final on 6-4 on aggregate.
Raphinha scored first to put Barcelona in the front on a comfortable night but Ronald Araujo’s red card in the first half changed everything. Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha and Mbappe’s double completed the turnaround as PSG progressed into the next stage of the competition.
It has been a tough season for Barcelona, but the Spanish giants put themselves in a great position to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League.
Last week Xavi’s side claimed an impressive 3-2 win away from home against PSG in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Despite taking an early lead in the return leg to go 4-2 up on aggregate, things fell apart when Ronald Araujo received a straight red card for a last-man foul.
The hosts were good value for their two-goal cushion in the tie overall, but their evening took a turn for the worse after Ronald Araujo was shown a straight red for bringing down Bradley Barcola.
PSG took advantage of the lifeline as Ousmane Dembele once again netted against his former club to level matters on the night five minutes prior to the interval.
It was one-way traffic following the break and after Vitinha’s excellent 25-yard drive moved PSG ahead on the night, Mbappe put them in charge of the tie with a clinical spot kick just past the hour.
The 25-year-old then took his tally to 41 for the season to polish off a late counter attack and set up a last-four clash with Borussia Dortmund.
The defeat not only knocked this La Liga giants out of the Champions League, but also ruled them out of playing in the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.
12 European teams will compete at the tournament in the United States, including the winners of the Champions League from 2021 to 2024 – Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City and the 2024 winner.
The other eight places are decided by the UEFA club coefficients, but despite being seventh out of the remaining clubs, Barca will not qualify.
That is because no more than two clubs from one country can qualify for the tournament.
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona were both eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday, but Atletico’s coefficient of 67.0 is better than Barca’s 61.0.
Therefore, Atletico will join Real Madrid as Spanish representatives at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The other teams that have secured their place in the competition are Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus and one of FC Salzburg or Arsenal.
Because City and Chelsea have already qualified, Arsenal can only qualify if they win this season’s Champions League.
