Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) managed to secure its third consecutive victory in the Champions League season, defeating Barcelona 4-2 on Tuesday. The win was secured by goals from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz, who scored late in the match. Meanwhile, Liverpool achieved a dramatic victory over Villarreal.
Manchester City thrashed AEK Athens 5-1, with Phil Foden scoring a hat-trick. Important victories were also achieved in the Champions League by Roma and Napoli.
Despite PSG maintaining its position at the top of the group stage table, the club faced injury problems with players such as Ousmane Dembele, Marquinhos, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who sustained injuries at Parc des Princes.
PSG midfielder Ruiz told Movistar: 'We do not feel superior to any team, but we trust ourselves, everyone who starts and everyone who comes off the bench. There is still a long way to go.'
Barcelona equalized twice against the two-time title holders but ultimately suffered a defeat, becoming the first team of the season to lose a match.
Coach Flick noted that the team tried to play in its style and pressed the opponents very high. He added that many fantastic moments were shown today, as his team won the previous 11 matches in all tournaments this season.
During the game, Kvaratskhelia hit the crossbar, Dembele was injured and left the field, and Ferran Torres was saved by Barcelona goalkeeper Juan Garcia early in the match.
PSG took the lead in the 38th minute when Désiré Doué struck the ball from outside the box and powerfully shot into the lower corner. Shortly after the break, Garcia made another excellent save from Achraf Hakimi, after which Xavi Espart managed to equalize for Barcelona, despite the flow of the game.
Kvaratskhelia and Marquinhos were injured almost simultaneously and had to leave the field. However, the home team continued to press, and Lucas Hernandez restored the team's advantage 18 minutes before the end of the match with a magnificent header.
Seven minutes later, Lamine Yamal passed past Warren Zaïre-Emery and equalized. But Vitinha scored in the 81st minute from outside the box, and Ruiz's follow-up ensured Luis Enrique's team a second Champions League victory with a score of 4-2, repeating last week's result against Manchester City.