Barcelona made a surprising piece of Champions League history, even though they lost to PSG.
Barcelona made a little-known piece of Champions League history during their 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes.
Hansi Flick’s team took their first defeat of the season, even though they fought back twice in the second half. Goals from Xavi Espart, a La Masia graduate who’s now a regular in Barca’s first team, and Lamine Yamal brought the score to 2-2 after Desire Doue and Lucas Hernandez had put PSG ahead twice. But late goals from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz in the final 10 minutes gave Luis Enrique’s side a hard-earned win.
Despite the loss, Flick’s team choices helped Barcelona claim an amazing Champions League record. According to OptaJoe, Barca became the first club ever to start a match against the defending champions with four teenagers in their starting lineup. Alongside Espart and Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal also started. Bernal and Espart were both taken off during the second half.
Barcelona could have added two more teenagers from the bench — 18-year-old defender Alex Campos and striker Hamza Abdelkarim — but neither played. Abdelkarim, an Egypt international, has made two appearances this season, while Campos, a Spain youth player, hasn’t debuted yet but has played in the UEFA Youth League with Barcelona B.
La Masia has become even more important for Barca because of their recent financial troubles. Many young players are moving up to the first team or being sold to help the club’s finances.
Looking ahead, Barca want to keep their strong run going in La Liga when they face Real Madrid in the next El Clasico on Sunday. They’re already six points ahead of Real, who are third in the table, though a loss at the Bernabeu would still hurt. At least, they won’t have to face Vinicius Junior, who is serving the second game of a four-match ban for pulling Nathan Saliba’s hair during a win over Villarreal earlier this month.
Barcelona will return to the Champions League on November 3, playing English club Aston Villa for the first time this season. Unai Emery’s team is one of only seven clubs to have a perfect record so far, with only PSG and Liverpool having played three matches among them.