PSG was riding high on their first leg 4-0 victory over Barcelona as the Champions League entered the second legs. Most of the experts had written Barca off except a very few who suggested Barca can do the impossible.
Barcelona claimed a scarcely believable Champions League feat against Paris Saint-Germain that will go down in history as one of the all-time greatest comebacks, Sergi Roberto scoring the winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to seal a sensational 6-5 aggregate triumph after they had trailed 4-0.
It had looked as though Edinson Cavani’s away goal would prove to be the decider after Barca had raced to a three-goal lead, but the hosts scored three times after the 88th minute at Camp Nou to complete the biggest turnaround ever seen in the Champions League.
After being thrashed in the first leg of the last-16 round, Barca appeared set to fall agonisingly short of a famous recovery in what promised to be a classic encounter.
Luis Enrique’s side were three goals up within 50 minutes and did not allow Cavani’s intervention to spoil their bid for a slice of history, Neymar scoring twice before setting up Roberto in intensifying scenes, the second leg ultimately finishing 6-1.
Two sub-standard first-half goals – one from Luis Suarez in the third minute – and a Layvin Kurzawa own goal gave a rocking Camp Nou hope of a reversal in the tie at half-time.
The home side reduced the lead further, early in the second half when Lionel Messi scored his 11th goal of the competition in this season from the penalty spot after Neymar was fouled by Thomas Meunier.
But a great finish from Cavani just after the hour mark – his eighth of the Champions League campaign that has been his most successful one – seemed to have made the difference, before the late heroics from Neymar and Roberto.
The crushing defeat sees PSG beaten by Barca in the knockout stages again having suffered the same fate in 2013 and 2015.
Barca, meanwhile, reached the quarters for the 10th straight season, meaning they are still in with a chance of a treble in Luis Enrique’s last season at the helm.
Hopes of a remarkable comeback were stirred after only 150 seconds, Suarez getting the goal.