LONDON (AP) ― Paris Saint-Germain overcame goals from Lionel Messi and Neymar to inflict Barcelona’s first loss of the season on Tuesday.
PSG, which has endured a subdued start to its French title defense, took control of Group F with the 3-2 victory over the Spanish league leaders in the Champions League.
“You are made to pay for errors at this level and we made a few mistakes at the beginning,” Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said. “Later we saw some strategic moves which they execute with great strength and they hurt us.”
It meant there was nothing for Xavi Hernandez to celebrate as the Barca midfielder overtook Raul Gonzalez by making a record 143rd Champions League appearance.
It was also a record-breaking night for 38-year-old Francesco Totti, who became the oldest scorer in the competition’s 22-year history to give Roma a 1-1 draw at Manchester City. Bayern Munich leads Group E after winning 1-0 at CSKA Moscow, whose stadium was empty as a punishment for racist abuse.
Chelsea also beat Sporting Lisbon 1-0 to lead Group G, with Schalke held to a 1-1 draw by Maribor.
FC Porto leads Group H after a 2-2 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk that was played in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv due to the conflict in the east. BATE climbed to second place by beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1.
It was a star-studded occasion in the French capital ― even in the stands, with celebrity couple Jay-Z and Beyonce watching with former PSG midfielder David Beckham.
And it was the perfect start for the hosts, with David Luiz becoming the first player to score against Barcelona this season in the 10th minute after connecting with Javier Pastore’s free kick.
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PSG’s David Luiz (second from left) and Barcelona’s Jeremy Mathieu vie for the ball on Tuesday. (AFP-Yonhap) |
But Messi leveled inside two minutes, slotting into the bottom corner of the net for his 402nd career goal and 68th Champions League goal ― putting him three behind all-time leading scorer Raul.
Slack defending by Barcelona allowed Verratti ― one of the smallest players on the pitch ― to drift in unmarked and head in his first PSG goal on his 62nd appearance in the 26th minute. PSG’s lead was extended at the start of the second half when Van der Wiel’s firmly struck cross was met by Blaise Matuidi at the back post.
Although PSG’s defensive vulnerability was exposed by Neymar knocking the ball into the net off the post, the hosts held on to collect three points.
In the other game in Group F, Lucas Andersen put Ajax in front but Gustavo Manduca scored from the penalty spot to give APOEL Nicosia a 1-1 draw.
That was the same outcome in Manchester where Sergio Aguero put English champion City in front from the penalty spot in the fifth minute after being dragged down by Maicon.
But after a quick Roma break, Radja Nainggolan slipped a pass through a hole in City’s defense and Totti raced onto the ball, clipping a delicate shot over goalkeeper Joe Hart and into the corner. By scoring at 38, Totti broke the record held by Manchester United great Ryan Giggs, who was 37 years and 9 months when he scored in 2011.
City has just one point after being beaten in the last round by Bayern, which earned another 1-0 win at CSKA. Thomas Mueller scored the only goal from the penalty spot in the first half after Mario Goetze was fouled by Mario Fernandes.
