Neymar Jr. Celebrates PSG’s Defeat With Seal of Approval for Barcelona’s Champions League QF Hero

Barcelona fans had to be on cloud nine last night after their side sank PSG in a thrilling contest. Traveling to the Parc des Princes, the Blaugrana put on a show in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, bagging a 3-2 win over their opponents. Raphinha emerged as the expected star of the night for the Catalan side, bagging a brace. The Brazilian’s heroics received the stamp of approval from ex-Barcelona star Neymar Jr, who was all over his compatriot’s performance.

The game against PSG saw Raphinha etch his name in Barcelona’s record books with the player registering his first goal in the Champions League. Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th minute, slotting the ball into an empty net. The hosts, however, took the lead with consecutive goals from Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha in the opening minutes of the second half. Despite that, Barcelona displayed their grit with Raphinha and Andreas Christensen, bagging two goals to help their team bag the win.

The ex-Leeds star was awarded the Player of the Match award for his performance, including the brace. Barcelona also lauded the player’s performance on their Instagram handle, sharing an image of Raphinha celebrating his second goal. Neymar was amongst the people who reacted to the post as the Al Hilal star replicated Raphinha’s celebration using emotes.

While Neymar’s former club enjoyed a great night away from home, the same couldn’t be said about his ex-employers PSG!

Kylian Mbappe struggled to deliver against Neymar Jr’s old club

While Barcelona put on a great show away from home, PSG’s performance left much to be desired. Kylian Mbappe had a rather quiet day at the box office, as he failed to find a single goal. Mbappe had a tough time getting past Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi, with the two aptly containing the Frenchman. The PSG star took just 3 shots during the 90 minutes failing to keep a single shot on target. His absence to lead from the front put pressure on his teammates who too had a rough time dealing with Barcelona’s defense.

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It will be interesting to see how PSG turns things around in the reverse fixture. Barcelona will fancy their chances with the second game at their home ground. If Xavi’s side can pin down Kylian Mbappe, the team is more than likely to walk away with the win. However, PSG has the attacking power to get past Barcelona’s defense and will rely on their front three to turn the deficit. Who do you think will qualify for the semifinal stages of the Champions League? Let us know in the comments below.

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