The Champions League round of 16 provided a great show between PSG and Barcelona, but ended up being as competitive as the Super Bowl LV. Kylian Mbbape got a hat-trick when the Parisians entered the Camp Nou and rearranged all furniture towards a 4-1 victory over Barça on Tuesday in the first leg, probably putting this point to rest before the second leg. It is the first hat-trick scheduled for a visitor at Camp Nou since Andriy Shevchenko in 1997, and the first time a French team has beaten Barcelona in the history of the Champions League.
It was a historic night for Paris Saint-Germain and our full summary can be found here. Make sure to check out our player ratings here.
In the other match, Liverpool recovered a little bit of form with a 2-0 victory over RB Leipzig in Budapest, putting them in a great position to advance to the quarterfinals. Our recap of this game can be found here.
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Now, with Tuesday’s matches over, here are some important points from the games:
1. Verratti, unstoppable Mbappe
There was no stopping Marco Verratti and Mbappe. When one of the two had the ball at their feet, it looked like something special was about to happen, and that was it. What they did at the opening, with Verratti’s cool touch on Mbappe, was a moment of brilliance. Take a look:
That moment put Mbappe into action and Verratti continued to shine in a more advanced role, with two midfielders sitting behind him. Mbappe scored three points and Verratti finished with a pass rate of 90.5.
2. Koeman is not the right man for the job
As the team continues to fight in cups, one would think that Ronald Koeman’s time at Barça has to be counted, especially with the presidential election and European elimination approaching. The quality is that of a team that seems closer to, say, Espanyol than Barcelona were used to seeing. This is a team full of mismatched names, and Koeman continues to prove that he is not suitable for the job. Don’t be fooled by the winning percentage of 62.86%. They fought against Juventus at UCL and Atletico Madrid in the league match before joining PSG. They don’t look like a candidate to win anything. This is a guy who has not won an important trophy in one of the first five European championships since 2008, and that was when the Valencia players turned against him and even managed to win the Copa del Rey.
He hasn’t done anything at Barcelona so far to show that he can keep this team motivated and in sync when it matters most, and it looks like he’s not going anywhere sooner or later.
This photo can say it all when it comes to Messi’s recent failures at Barcelona and his big summer decision coming up:
Getty Images
3. Liverpool regains its arrogance
Boy, Liverpool needed that victory. They are back to their victories with a good performance in Budapest, taking advantage of RB Leipzig’s mistakes to position themselves well. The Reds were not overly dominant with the ball, but they did not make the big defensive mistakes we saw in the last few defeats.
This victory can do wonders for their confidence as they begin to shift their focus to UCL with the Premier League title dispute potentially over for them, with Manchester City continuing to dominate.
Liverpool have always been known as a cup team, and the quality is still there to run a race if they can.
Jamie Carragher is counting on that.
4. I am still waiting for RB Leipzig
It may seem like it’s over, and it probably is, but there is still hope here for RB Leipzig. Liverpool were considered unbeatable at home not too long ago, but losing to Brighton at Anfield earlier this month and being controlled by Atletico Madrid last season, anything is possible. A goal early in the second leg, scheduled for March 10, will give the German side a chance. Don’t forget, RB Leipzig really created the best chances in this first leg.
But if Liverpool score one in the second leg, it’s probably over. Chances are that Liverpool will generate a goal, but considering that they have been tied without a goal in two of the last three home matches (Brighton and Burnley), there is a window for RB Leipzig to change that. Limiting errors in the second leg and taking advantage of what appears to be an inevitable mistake from this patched Liverpool defense means that Julian Nagelsmann’s team is still alive.
5. Look ahead
The fun of the Champions League continues with Porto hosting Juventus and Borussia Dortmund traveling to Sevilla for first-hand clashes on Wednesday at 3 pm Eastern time. You can stream all Champions League games on CBS All Access (soon to be Paramount +).