The goal that won this game was a portrait of how it had been played: all in, all the way to the end. A move that started deep in Paris Saint-Germain’s half with Lee Kang-in chased backwards, turning, escaping and going at the same opponents who had been pursuing him, ended in the Barcelona penalty area with Gonçalo Ramos slotting past Wojciech Szczesny. There were six seconds left, it was the 26th shot of an exhausting and enjoyable night, and now it really was over, Barcelona beaten.
For an hour of generous effort and high quality, they had gone at each other; for the last half an hour, as Barcelona tired and PSG somehow didn’t, Luis Enrique’s side kept pressing and ultimately justice was done. The European champions still look a step ahead even with illustrious absentees, the Ballon d’Or winner, Ousmane Dembélé, among them.
