Barcelona entered Wednesday’s Champions League clash against PSG already down and with little hope after losing the opening leg of the round of 16 tie in Paris. The Catalan giants went on to produce the most epic comeback in soccer history (and one of the greatest sports comebacks ever) rallying to win the second leg 6-1 and advance 6-5 on aggregate.
There’s a ton to digest here, so let’s break it all down.
Barcelona’s blueprint before the game
Barcelona needed to win the second leg 4-0 to send it to extra time. Because of the away-goal rule, if they conceded, they would need to win by five goals to advance to the quarterfinals. The chances of doing this were slim to none.
SPI gave Barcelona a 7% chance to advance entering today's match
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) March 8, 2017
But Barca got things going early, which ultimately helped set this emphatic comeback.
3rd minute: Barcelona 1, PSG 0 (1-4 on aggregate, still need three more goals to force extra time)
Barca was always going to need a fast start to get the wheels going. Luis Suarez gave the club that, but they still needed three more goals to force extra time and four more to win outright.
That's the start Barcelona needed!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2017
Suarez gets the 3rd minute goal to put them up 1-0 on the night (1-4 agg.). #UCL https://t.co/3nn99ddr7p
40th minute: Barcelona 2, PSG 0 (2-4 on aggregate, still need two more goals to force extra time)
At 1-0, Barca needed a 4-0 win to send it to extra time. Thanks to an own goal from Layvin Kurzawa gave the Catalan side 2-0 lead before the half. That gave Luis Henrique’s men some hope.
It wasn't pretty, but Barca have a second goal!
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2017
Yeah, you definitely don't want to miss this 2nd half. #UCL #FCBPSG https://t.co/BczOcWoEP2
50th minute: Barcelona 3, PSG 0 (3-4 on aggregate, need one more goal to force extra time)
Every team needs a bit of luck, and there was certainly some fortune on Barca’s side. Neymar went down in the box after tripping over a defender who was falling down. The referee gave the penalty, and Messi found the net to cut the deficit to just one goal on aggregate. With that goal, the team goes from having hope to actually envisioning themselves in the quarterfinals.
Barcelona are one goal away from extra time! #UCL #FCBPSG https://t.co/GG2C4biIcw
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2017
62nd minute: Barcelona 3, PSG 1 (3-5 on aggregate, need three more goals to advance)
With 40 minutes remaining, it looked as if Barcelona was in good shape. The comeback was almost there, the club just needed one goal to send it to extra time ... then, PSG silenced the Camp Nou through Edinson Cavani’s strike.
That away goal from PSG took all the air out of the stadium and it meant the extra-time scenario was out of the window. Barcelona would need to find the net three times in the next half hour to advance.
.
Barcelona fell asleep and Cavani made them pay! #UCL #FCBPSG https://t.co/26MaJFxE6X
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2017
Time was running out. Barca needed a miracle bigger than anyone. And their prayers were answered.
88th minute: Barcelona 4, PSG 1 (4-5 on aggregate, need two more goals to advance)
At the time, not much was thought of this goal. Little did we know it played a pivotal role in this historic comeback. Neymar drilled this delightful free kick into the upper corner to make it 4-1 on the night and 4-5 on aggregate. But the hosts still needed two goals in the last few minutes. Impossible, right?
Amazing to think #Neymar's free-kick was in the 88th minute.
— Paul Morrissey (@Paul_Morrissey) March 8, 2017
I raised an eyebrow and went, 'Yeah but....'pic.twitter.com/eIZi8BLVZJ
Wrong.
91st minute: Barcelona 5, PSG 1 (5-5 on aggregate, need one more goal to advance)
Another goal for Barca! This was a controversial penalty kick awarded in Barca’s favor and Neymar finishes it.
#UCL 🏆 #Barcellona 🇪🇸 #PSG 🇫🇷 5⃣-1⃣ #live
— FIFA Soccer Team (@FifaSoccerTeam) March 8, 2017
90' #Neymar 🇧🇷 #penalty ⚽️#ChampionsLeague 2016/17 #BarcellonaPSG #FCBPSG #GOTW 📺 pic.twitter.com/CjglI4jrDt
You be the judge on that call. Check out a closer look:
QUE VERGÜENZA pic.twitter.com/ibTOQa9ltB
— Euge Ronaldo (@EugeRonaldo) March 8, 2017
Controversy aside, that surely has to be it, right? There isn’t enough time, is there? With five minutes of stoppage time awarded, there was still a slim chance.
95th minute - Barcelona 6, PSG 1 (6-5 on aggregate, Barca pull off the miracle)
Then this happened. The miracle of all miracles. Barca scored in the 95th minute via Sergi Roberto to advance in what was like a Hail Mary or a full-court desperation heave. How desperate was Barcelona? The goalkeeper, Marc-Andre ter Stegen was even out attacking. Empty net and total desperation for the Catalan giants, and it somehow paid off.
Here's the moment everyone's talking about.
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 8, 2017
Sergi Roberto's goal completes the greatest comeback in #UCL history. https://t.co/OAcpUEufgL
And there you have arguably the greatest soccer comeback ever and one of the best comebacks in sports history. Soccer fans will remember where they all were when they saw this comeback. Fans who missed it will be shocked. But that level of shock will never equal what PSG feels after one of the most epic collapses in sports history.
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