Barcelona coach Hansi Flick acknowledged his side’s defensive shortcomings after a stoppage-time goal condemned them to a 2-1 home defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Champions League group stage on Wednesday night.
At the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic, Goncalo Ramos struck in the 90th minute to secure victory for the reigning European champions.
Achraf Hakimi raced beyond Barcelona’s high defensive line before squaring for the Portuguese striker to finish emphatically, exposing a familiar weakness in the Catalans’ back line.
It was the latest reminder of Barcelona’s defensive frailties. Last season, they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Inter Milan after conceding seven goals across two legs. Flick admitted his players failed to learn the lessons of those defeats.
“With the score at 1-1 you have to defend better, have a better structure in defence,” the German coach told reporters. “We will learn this and we have to make it better next time against this quality of team.”
Ferran Torres had given Barcelona the lead in the 19th minute, converting Marcus Rashford’s cross to extend the club’s record scoring run to 45 consecutive matches. However, PSG responded through 19-year-old Senny Mayulu, who levelled before half-time with a composed finish.
Despite missing key figures such as Marquinhos, recently anointed Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and with Joao Neves forced to withdraw in the warm-up, PSG looked sharper in possession. Flick conceded that Luis Enrique’s side deserved their victory.
“There is no point in saying we are on the same level,” Flick said. “Today wasn’t our best day. The philosophy they have is fantastic – young players, quality, speed on the ball, very, very good. But I believe in my team. When we play at our best, we can match PSG.”
For Enrique, who returned to Barcelona for the first time as PSG manager, it was a night of satisfaction. The French champions became the first club to win three times away to Barcelona in European competition, having triumphed in 2021 and 2024.
Man City's leaky defence
Elsewhere in Europe, there were contrasting fortunes for English sides. Arsenal maintained their perfect start with a 2-0 win at Olympiakos, Gabriel Martinelli scoring early and Bukayo Saka sealing victory in added time. Newcastle claimed their first Champions League away win since 2003, sweeping past Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0 in Brussels thanks to Nick Woltemade’s opener, two Anthony Gordon penalties and a late strike from Harvey Barnes.
Manchester City, however, were held to a 2-2 draw in Monaco. Erling Haaland netted twice to take his tally to 52 goals in just 50 appearances in the competition, but Jordan Teze’s thunderbolt and a stoppage-time Eric Dier penalty denied Pep Guardiola’s side.
Nico Gonzalez was penalised for a high boot on Dier inside the area at a Monaco free-kick, with Spanish referee Jesus Gil Manzano eventually pointing to the spot after a long VAR check.
Dier stepped up to send Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way, as Monaco claimed a first point in this season's Champions League and City moved onto four points from two outings following their win against Napoli last time out.
Guardiola accepted the decision against his team with frustration but also pragmatism.
“That was a good game. We made some decisions, we created a lot of chances,” he told TNT Sports. “I don’t know if it was a penalty but it was given. So that’s that. Nico touched the ball first, no intention. But it is what it is. We have a point and we will take it.”
Napoli, beaten in their opening match, secured a first win of the campaign as on-loan Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund struck twice in a 2-1 victory over Sporting Lisbon. Former Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne created both goals, while Luis Suarez pulled one back from the penalty spot.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund powered past Athletic Bilbao 4-1, Villarreal rescued a point at the death against Juventus in a 2-2 draw, PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1 at Bayer Leverkusen, and Qarabag of Azerbaijan celebrated a landmark second successive Champions League win by overcoming Copenhagen 2-0.
