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7 months ago
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L'Equipe hailed Kylian Mbappe for making Barcelona 'his garden' as Paris Saint-Germain completed a stunning comeback to reach the Champions League semi-finals.
Mbappe was one of five PSG players earning an 8 out of 10 rating after scoring his side's third and fourth goal as the Ligue 1 champions set up a semi-final showdown against Borussia Dortmund.
'He was expected to be the saviour and he finally was,' L'Equipe wrote, noting Barcelona was now 'his garden' after the France star scored a hat-trick at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the Round of 16 three years ago.
But there was no such praise for Xavi and his players, as the Catalans imploded in spectacular fashion after having a man sent off on Tuesday night.
The French newspaper's ratings can be notoriously harsh and Barcelona averaged just 4.2 out of 10 after they crashed out of Europe with a 4-1 loss at home in the second leg of their quarter-final tie.
Xavi received a 3 out of 10 rating from L'Equipe after Barcelona lost 4-1 at home to PSG
Robert Lewandowski was one of three Barcelona players to receive a 3 out of 10 rating
Kylian Mbappe was one of five PSG players earning an 8 out of 10 mark after scoring twice
Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Joao Cancelo were ranked as the worst performers, earning a 3 out of 10 mark, the same rating as Xavi.
Lewandowski's miss with Barcelona 1-0 was one of the 'turning points of the game', according to L'Equipe.
Meanwhile Cancelo endured an 'evening to forget' after giving away a penalty in the second half for fouling Ousmane Dembele, while Kounde was 'manhandled like the rest of his teammates.'
Barcelona won the first leg 3-2 at the Parc des Princes last week and extended their advantage early in the second leg, with Raphinha prodding home a cross from Lamine Yamal after 12 minutes.
It was the perfect start for Barcelona but the complexion of the game changed dramatically on the half hour when Ronald Araujo was adjudged to have brought down Bradley Barcola just before he burst into the area.
PSG restored parity just before halftime courtesy of a smart finish from Dembele, and they were level on aggregate 10 minutes into the second half when Vitinha’s shot fizzed through a crowd of players from the edge of the area and past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Xavi and Barcelona goalkeeping coach Jose Ramon De la Fuente Rodrigo where then both sent off by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs for protesting when another decision went against the hosts.
L'Equipe questioned Xavi's decision to replace Yamal after Arajuo's red card, but conceded the Spaniard's plans were complicated by Andreas Christensen's absence.
Raphinha was the only Barcelona player to receive a 6 out of 10 rating
Joao Cancelo also received a 3 out of 10 mark after giving away a penalty in the second half
But Luis Enrique earned an 8 out of 10 rating for turning the tie around after PSG trailed 4-2 on aggregate early in the second leg
Raphinha, who scored twice in the first leg, was Barcelona's best performer on the night, earning a 6 out of 10 mark for his 'combative and stirring' contribution.
Unsurprisingly, it was a very different picture for PSG, whose average rating was 7 out of 10.
Aside from Mbappe, Barcola, Vitinha and Dembele also received an 8 out of 10 mark, as did Marquinhos, who delivered a 'captain's performance' and stifled Lewandowski throughout the contest.
There was also high praise for Luis Enrique, who became the first manager since Mauricio Pochettino three years ago to take PSG to the Champions League semi-final.
L'Equipe praised the Spaniard for delivering on his promise that his side would qualify.
'When he fields a coherent team by putting players in their positions, you immediately see the difference,' it wrote.
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