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BARCELONA: Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain stunned Barcelona with a 90th-minute Goncalo Ramos winner to claim a 2-1 away victory in the league stage on Wednesday.
Ferran Torres sent Hansi Flick’s Barcelona ahead with a cool finish but Senny Mayulu fired a depleted PSG level before half-time.
It was an even and thoroughly entertaining bout between two of the competition’s favorites at the Olympic stadium which was eventually settled by Ramos’ late strike, as PSG exploited Barca’s high defensive line.
“After scoring the (first) goal we got a confidence boost and in the second half we were better,” Luis Enrique told reporters.
“I’m happy... because it’s an important victory and playing against Barcelona is always difficult.”
Luis Enrique, who won the treble coaching Barcelona in 2015, was lacking several key players and his team held on at times but eventually got the better of last season’s semifinalists.
“If you let in a goal in the last minute and you lose at home, you’re going to be disappointed,” Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong told Movistar.
“There’s a long way to go in the Champions League. It was a good game to test where we are — we have to improve. We know that and we will do it.”
Barcelona and PSG have not been on the best of terms over the past decade, with the Catalans recording one of the sport’s greatest comebacks in 2017 with a 6-1 win over the Parisians.
PSG snatching Neymar and going on to sign all-time Barca great Lionel Messi worsened relations, although Luis Enrique’s approach and a spate of injuries left the visitors shorn of star names on their return to Catalonia.
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele and his usual attacking partners Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia all missed out, but PSG midfielders Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz were fit to start.
From kick-off Barca starlet Lamine Yamal was out to prove a point. After finishing as runner-up behind Dembele, the teenager started stating his case for next year’s award.
Yamal pirouetted away from two defenders and dodged Nuno Mendes, starting an enthralling battle with PSG’s left-back.
The defender shut him down for Portugal in the Nations League in the summer and managed to dispossess the winger in the box a few minutes later to strike back in their individual tussle.
Yamal created the first clear chance with a sensational pass using the outside of his boot to send Torres through.
The Spaniard rounded goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier but Illia Zabarnyi slid in to block his goal-bound effort.
Barcelona took the lead in the 19th minute after Yamal and Pedri combined and Torres slotted home from Marcus Rashford’s quick first-time pass.
PSG started to grow into the game and forced Wojciech Szczesny into his first save, tipping Achraf Hakimi’s free-kick around the post.
Mendes gave Yamal a taste of his own medicine by blazing away from the youngster downfield, cutting through Barcelona players, only to be felled by a desperate De Jong.
Mendes repeated the trick to set up the equalizer, tearing into Barca territory. Pau Cubarsi misjudged a lunge to try and cut out his pass for 19-year-old striker Mayulu, who beat Szczesny in the 38th minute.

- Marauding Mendes -

Bradley Barcola fired narrowly over and then forced Szczesny into a solid save either side of the interval as the European champions clicked into a higher gear.
PSG were fortunate Mendes was not issued a second yellow for felling Yamal in full flow on the edge of the box as the pendulum swung back the other way.
Dani Olmo’s shot was cleared off the line by Hakimi and PSG’s Kang-in Lee curled against the post as the clock ticked down and Barca started to tire.
Eventually Ramos grabbed three points for PSG as he stayed onside to collect Hakimi’s pass, after the Moroccan got in behind Barca’s defense, and slot home.
“We’re happy with what we showed today,” said Luis Enrique, after PSG sealed their second win from two league stage games.
The coach hailed his full-backs Mendes and Hakimi, calling them the finest in their positions in the world.
“No doubts, the two best,” added Luis Enrique. “Nuno and Hakimi played excellently.”

MIAMI: Not even half of the spots in the 48-team field have been claimed. The schedule of matches won’t be finalized until December. And other than host nations US, Canada and Mexico, nobody has any idea where or when they’ll be playing.
Millions of football fans worldwide evidently don’t seem to mind any of those points.
Tickets to next year’s FIFA World Cup officially go on sale Wednesday. The buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery that took place last month, to have the first formal chance to purchase tickets over the next few days. FIFA said lottery winners have been, or will soon be, informed by email.
There are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they’ll get visas, if necessary, to visit the US as the country cracks down on immigration. There are also more traditional concerns such as who, when and where – and none of those will be answered until the draw on Dec. 5. FIFA knows many fans won’t fret about those answers; they’ll just want tickets now and will figure out the rest later.
“These are not only outstanding figures, but also a strong statement,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on social media, reacting to the 4.5 million applicants for a spot in the purchase window that opened Wednesday. “The whole world wants to be part of the FIFA World Cup 26, the biggest, most inclusive and most exciting event ever. From Canada, Mexico and the United States, to countries big and small across every continent, fans are proving once again passion for football truly unites.”
In divided times, the notion of football being something that “truly unites” will be put to the test.
Here are some things to know as tickets go on sale.
What’s for sale?
Fans can purchase seats in one of four categories; Category 1 is the best seats, Category 4 is somewhere around the tops of stadiums. Ticket prices will range initially from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final but could – and almost certainly will – change as football’s biggest event utilizes dynamic pricing for the first time.
There are other ways to get tickets other than shelling out big bucks. American Airlines announced last month that its AAdvantage loyalty program members can redeem miles for World Cup tickets, starting Oct. 13 for executive platinum and concierge key members, then Oct. 14 for platinum pro, platinum and gold members, followed on Oct. 15 by all members.
And starting Thursday, some Verizon customers will have access to free World Cup tickets and other perks. The telecommunications giant is a World Cup sponsor and will simply start dropping free ticket chances to its customers through its app.
“For me, there are few things as exciting as experiencing football live, whether that’s on or off the pitch, and so I am proud to partner with Verizon to celebrate their plans to give fans unprecedented access to the tournament,” said football icon David Beckham, part of Verizon’s promotion for the World Cup.
Who’s in?
The US, Mexico and Canada all automatically qualified as host nations. Also in so far: defending champion Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Tunisia, Colombia, Paraguay and Morocco.
That leaves 30 spots still unclaimed.
FIFA said fans from 216 countries and territories applied to be part of the first ticket lottery. The top three nations of interest, to no surprise, were the hosts: the US, Mexico and Canada, in that order. The rest of the top 10, also in order of application totals: Germany, England, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Spain and Italy.
Nobody has said how many tickets FIFA plans to sell in this first window. Availability won’t be depleted; based on the listed stadium attendance figures, there are roughly 7.1 million seats to fill for the 104 matches around 16 North American venues, though it’s unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public.
Will visitors travel to the US?
There is an immigration crackdown unfolding across the US, which could dampen overseas interest in traveling to the country. US tourism officials have already noted a drop in overseas visitors this year and even organizers in some US host cities have acknowledged that political dynamics may have an impact on attendance.
Adding to some of the uncertainty, President Donald Trump, who has a close relationship with Infantino, has suggested that the host cities could be changed if he wants to move some events away from places his administration considers unsafe.
The US cities that are scheduled to host are East Rutherford, New Jersey; Inglewood, California; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Houston; Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; Seattle; Santa Clara, California; Philadelphia; Kansas City, Missouri and Miami Gardens, Florida.
“If any city we think is going to be even a little bit dangerous for the World Cup … we won’t allow it to go there,” Trump said last week. “We’ll move it around a little bit. But I hope that’s not going to happen.”
The State Department says that “the safety and security of the United States” along with “World Cup matches, athletes, fans, and venues” are the top priorities with regard to its role in the World Cup process. It also suggests that travelers who need a visa should start applying now, and officials have said the US is trying “to ensure an efficient, smooth, and effective visa process.”
What’s next?
A second phase, called an early ticket draw, likely will run from Oct. 27-31, with purchase timeslots from mid-November to early December. A third phase, termed a random selection draw, will start after the final draw of teams on Dec. 5 determines the World Cup schedule.
Tickets will also be available closer to the tournament “on a first-come, first-served basis.” FIFA also said it will start an official resale platform.
Some tickets have already been snagged; hospitality packages have been sold since May.
“The world will come together in North America,” Infantino promised, “like never before.”
The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19.