PSG vs. Barcelona: Score and Reaction from 2017 Champions League Round of 16

Barcelona's UEFA Champions League status is hanging by a thread after they were pummelled 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.

A fantastic free-kick from Angel Di Maria gave the hosts an 18th-minute lead, and five minutes before the break, they grabbed a deserved second, with Julian Draxler thudding home from the edge of the box at the end of a slick counter.

Di Maria scored his second early in the second period, fizzing in a brilliant strike from distance. That was before Edinson Cavani completed the rout in the 72nd minute, capping off a miserable night for the visitors.

At kick-off, the Parc des Princes was pulsing with anticipation, and PSG flew out of the traps, putting Barcelona under pressure high up the pitch to disrupt their rhythm.

Marca's Paddy Boyland was impressed by the hosts' efforts and noticed a potential weakness for them to exploit:

Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept the score level initially, saving brilliantly from Blaise Matuidi. However, it didn't take too long for Unai Emery's rampant side to get ahead.

After Draxler was felled on the edge of the area, Di Maria lined up the subsequent free-kick. His strike was sweet, the Barcelona wall separated and the ball nestled in the back of the net; the former Real Madrid man celebrated wildly and the visitors were rocking.

Plenty of teams in PSG's situation would have been content with their lead, but they were insatiable in their desire to win the ball back and so incisive in their attacking patterns. Their second goal summed up the difference between the two sides in the first period.

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The imperious Marco Verratti robbed the ball off Lionel Messi on halfway, drove forward with purpose and played in Draxler in the right channel. From there, the German finished with conviction and Barcelona were facing a massive uphill task.

Per OptaFranz, since arriving at PSG in January, the winger has had quite an impact:

Aside from a decent chance for Andre Gomes, Barca struggled to conjure much of note in the first period, and after half time, it was imperative they responded. They didn't.

And as ponderous the Blaugrana were, PSG were in an exhilarating groove, epitomised by the attacking endeavour of Di Maria. In the 55th minute, he picked the ball up 30 yards out, wriggled past a couple of challenges and bent a pinpoint strike beyond Ter Stegen. 

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Although it was Di Maria and Draxler on the scoresheet, Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News hailed the French champions' men in the middle:

Indeed, the visitors couldn't get a foothold, and whenever play broke down, there were huge gaps for PSG to surge through in midfield. 

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That was the case for the fourth goal, too, as Thomas Meunier raided forward from right-back and played in Cavani. After finding a yard on Gerard Pique, he drilled an unstoppable shot past Ter Stegen for PSG's fourth of the night.

Per MailOnline Sport, the Uruguayan has been ruthless in front of goal in 2016-17:

Meanwhile, former Barcelona man Gary Lineker was not pleased with the performance of his former club and particularly that of Messi:

As calamitous as they were, the visitors did have the chance to snatch what would have been a valuable away strike late on, but Samuel Umtiti somehow headed against his own post from close range with the goal gaping.

Even for a team of Barcelona's pedigree, this looks impossible to turn around. They're capable of scoring goals in bursts, and the Camp Nou can be an intimidating place to visit, but PSG will not be daunted after trampling over the La Liga giants throughout this one-sided tussle.

The French side deserve immense credit for their approach, operating with an ambition and ingenuity few can find against the Catalan giants. It's the kind of win that can be a springboard for this developing side in their quest to be crowned kings of the continent for the first time.

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Di Maria, who bagged a brace on his birthday, spoke of a memorable day for himself. “It is impossible to have a better performance and birthday,” said the Argentina international, per BBC Sport. “It was a wonderful display and we deserved the win. We controlled the game for 90 minutes. It is hard to control Neymar, [Luis] Suarez and Messi but we managed it.”

From the Barcelona camp, Sergio Busquets conceded the visitors were bullied throughout. “They were better than us,” he said, per BBC Sport. “They played better, they were better tactically, they out-did us physically.”