Curbasi, 17, shines for Barcelona
Pau Cubarsi goes to be a famous person.
The 17-year-old Barcelona defender had his hardest check so far, developing towards a rampant Paris Saint-Germain assault which included Kylian Mbappe. Cubarsi solely made his LaLiga debut in January, two days earlier than his seventeenth birthday. This was solely his fifteenth first-team look and his second within the Champions League.
He would have develop into the youngest participant to play in a Champions League quarter-final had team-mate Lamine Yamal, 16, not began as nicely.
However a surprising show noticed the defender unfazed by the event. Within the first half, no participant on the pitch had extra clearances and he ended the opening 45 with a 92.59 per cent passing accuracy.
Within the second half, he gained the ball again 5 occasions within the center and defensive thirds, solely Joao Cancelo and PSG’s Beraldo managed extra within the sport.
La Masia has been glorious for Barcelona this season with Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Marc Guiu among the many names to interrupt via this time period. Gavi and Pedri are the massive names too. Add Cubarsi’s title to the listing.Sam Blitz
PSG present there’s life after Mbappe
Luis Enrique has been taking Kylian Mbappe off in essential Ligue 1 matches in latest weeks as a result of he needs his PSG to practise enjoying with out their outgoing talisman.
Regardless of defeat to Barcelona, his crew have proven there’s loads to them earlier than he leaves.
With Mbappe somewhat nameless, ending the sport and not using a shot heading in the right direction, the opposite PSG attackers stepped as much as the fore. Ousmane Dembele appears able to take the important thing attacking mantle off Mbappe, whereas Bradley Barcola, nonetheless simply 21, was an impactful participant off the bench.
Essentially the most thrilling participant nonetheless is midfielder Vitinha, who put in an all-round show on the Parc des Princes. The Portugal worldwide accomplished all however one in every of his 83 passes, together with 55 within the Barcelona half – he created the important thing likelihood which Dembele hit the submit and took his end brilliantly.
PSG will clearly be negatively impacted by Mbappe’s departure this summer season – however there’s loads elsewhere for Luis Enrique to maintain creating this younger facet.Sam Blitz
Griezmann stays a delight
Antoine Griezmann remains to be among the best gamers on the planet.
Few have the intelligence the Frenchman possesses – that’s the great thing about Griezmann as a footballer, he reads a sport like no different and will even be getting higher with age. He ran the present on the Wanda Metropolitano, creating six probabilities within the match, together with the help for Samuel Lino’s objective. It was probably the most probabilities he is ever created in a single Champions League sport.
He isn’t blessed with lightning tempo or appears overly highly effective to the extent that opposition gamers suppose they’ve him coated however his guile and skill to vary a sport with a cross or a chunk of talent makes him so harmful and a pleasure to observe. He can harm you at any second, from everywhere in the pitch.
Griezmann now has seven Champions League objective involvements for Atletico Madrid this season (5 targets, two assists). With him on the coronary heart of Diego Simeone’s facet, a semi-final spot is nicely inside their grasp.Lewis Jones