‘Biggest comeback in UCL history’ – Former Barcelona midfielder reminisces historic 6-1 win vs PSG
Later tonight, Barcelona face Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League for a spot in the semifinal of the event.
Indeed, it is the first time Xavi’s side have made it to the knockout stages in three years. The knockout draw, however, churned out a workable path to the final, and getting past the French side will go a long way in Barcelona’s dream of making the final.
There is a lot of talk about the history shared between the two clubs ahead of the game, with a lot of focus going back to the team’s historic 6-1 comeback win over PSG in 2017.
Former Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic, who started on the epic night for Barcelona, spoke to MARCA earlier today about the special memory and how it came about.
He began by commenting on how the dressing room was not devastated after the 4-0 defeat in the first leg, but rather, eager to prove what they were really capable of.
“There was a unique atmosphere after the bad game we played in Paris. For the return leg, there was a tremendous desire.”
“We wanted to show the world that what happened in Paris was an accident. That the team was able to lift it and we were in charge of doing it,” he added.
Barcelona’s night against PSG was going like a fairytale after kickoff, as they scored three goals relatively quickly and required just one more to force extra-time.
An Edinson Cavani goal at the hour mark, however, turned the tables unexpectedly. With the away goals rule still in play at the time, Barcelona required three more goals suddenly with just 30 minutes left.
“That goal hurt us, but we continued. In the end, we noticed the fear in the rivals and we came back. Not even in the best script of a Hollywood movie,” Rakitic said about PSG’s lone goal of the night.
Finally, the Croatian midfielder summed up the result and the comeback in one sentence, saying,
“It was the biggest comeback in Champions League history, for the result and for how it was achieved.”
