European paper round-up: French and Spanish publications react to PSG's sensational win over Barcelona
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Wednesday morning's newspapers bring delight or doom, depending on which side of the Pyrenees you happen to be on.
After Paris Saint-Germain's scintillating victory over Barcelona last night, it is no surprise that the French press has dusted off its big book of superlatives, describing the performance variously as "sparkling", "astonishing" and "exceptional".
Things are a little more gloomy in Catalonia, although no less dramatic, with the result described as "a stain on the Barcelona's name" from a "disfigured team". Ouch.
Here are the best bits, plus full player ratings from L'Equipe, who don't pull any punches in their assessment of the Barça players:
L'Equipe (France)
(Photo: L'Equipe)
Headline: Tremendous!
Vincent Duluc: "PSG-Barça goes down among the great European nights for French football. It's not just about the result. It's the vertigo that comes from those waves (of attacks) and from the way they walked all over the Barcelona players, making them look like little boys."
Damien Degorre: "What they did last night was simply enormous, incredible, gigantic, astonishing and a tiny bit moving, too. The magnitude of the victory was merited ten thousand times over, for PSG produced intensity over the course of the whole match. Credit should go to Unai Emery, who has constructed a truly determined collective."
(Full L'Equipe player ratings below)
Sport (Spain)
(Photo: Sport)
Headline: This is not Barça
Albert Masnou: "It's not about André Gomes, who was terrible, or unreliable Iniesta, or Busquets, lacking strength, or Sergi Roberto, who left more gaps than a sieve, or Luis Suárez, who didn't touch the ball, or Messi, who wasn't there. Barcelona need a total reset across the board, because the defeat in Paris was a question of attitude. Barcelona were just any old side, a toy in PSG's hands. It was a stain on the club's name."
Miki Soria: "Barcelona didn't know how to react to the devastating domination of PSG. Barça suffered a lot in defence, losing every individual battle. Every PSG attack was a nightmare for the backline. While the PSG players looked like they would die for every ball, Barça's lacked intensity."
Le Figaro
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Vincent Duchesne: "No, it's not a dream! Rub your eyes however much you need to. On Tuesday night, at the Parc des Princes, reality overtook fiction. We expected hell for PSG, deprived of their captain, Thiago Silva, and their air traffic controller, Thiago Motta, against the Barcelona monster. But they munched them, wolfed them down ferociously. Lucidity. Fighting spirit. An exceptional collective performance. A perfect match. Barça were totally outclassed."
Mundo Deportivo (Spain)
(Photo: Mundo Deportivo)
Headline: Disaster
Santi Nolla: "It was a big blow to a 'Barcelonismo' that lived in confidence of a few extraordinary players. Yesterday, Barcelona lived through a nightmare that has left them practically out of Europe, hoping for a miracle at the Camp Nou. Barcelona were unable to keep things tight in the middle or win the ball back in the opposition half. There was no pressure and the Barça players looked physically shattered."
Gabriel Sans: "The team was unrecognisable and disfigured, detached from its (usual) style. It was an undecipherable display, without individuals or leaders."
Le Monde
(Photo: REUTERS)
Clément Guillou: "The resounding win changes everything for Unai Emery, whom the French game was giving the cold shoulder. For the owners, the international impact of a victory like this eclipses everything that happens in Ligue 1."
Le Parisien
(Photo: Le Parisien)
Headline: Magic!
Dominique Sévérac: "It's like a dream come true, a late Christmas present, an immense offering to the club. After such a demonstration dedicated to football, to the love of the game and to the big matches that create great players and teams, there is nothing left to fear. We knew the MSN, but now we have discovered the CDD – Cavani, Di Maria, Draxler – our own enchanting trio."
L'EQUIPE PLAYER RATINGS
PSG
Trapp 8 – Hardly tested, but vigilant and serene with the ball at his feet.
Meunier 7 – Good in defence and decisive in setting up Cavani's goal.
Marquinhos 7 – Quite discreet, always anticipated and read (the Barça attacks).
Kimpembe 8 – For his first game at this level, he was brilliant.
Kurzawa 6 – Better after the interval but was limited in attack.
Verratti 8 – Exceptional in his harrying and pressing.
Rabiot 9 – A high-level performance. He reigned in the midfield.
Matuidi 7 – Started with intensity and never hesitated in getting forward.
Draxler 8 – Decisive again and caused Sergi Roberto problems.
Di Maria 9 – He had clearly been saving up his genius for last night.
Cavani 8 – A few missed chances, but he never gives up.
(Photo: @tomwfootball)
Barcelona
Ter Stegen 6 – The best (or the least worst) Barcelona player.
Sergi Roberto 4 – A few good contributions, but sunk in the second half.
Pique 3 – His positioning couldn't make up for his lack of pace.
Umtiti 3 - Had great difficulty down his side, faced with Cavani and Di Maria.
Alba 2 – His rare attacks came to nothing against Meunier.
Iniesta 2 – The Barcelona idol looked his age. Passed by.
Busquets 3 – Never got up to speed and lost too many balls.
Andre Gomes 2 – A ghost.
Suarez 2 – Never managed to escape the vigilant marking of Kimpembe.
Neymar 3 – Didn't manage to combine with Messi or Suarez.
Messi 2 – Offensively, he didn't make anything happen.