International football
PSG 4, Barcelona 2: Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz settle the early final in Paris as Barça loses for the first time
The defending champions stay perfect with three wins from three Champions League games but lose Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia to injuries.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 23:00 · Updated 12:22 · 2 min read
In brief
- PSG beat Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes with goals from Doué, Hernández, Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz.
- Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal scored for the Catalans, but their run of 11 straight wins came to an end.
- Dembélé went off after 20 minutes with a thigh injury, and Kvaratskhelia was also injured.
Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes in the most anticipated match of the third week of the Champions League league phase. The game was played in a tense atmosphere because of the unrest in France, but on the pitch it turned into a six-goal spectacle.
The hosts started with pressure, and Kvaratskhelia hit the post early on. After 20 minutes, Ousmane Dembélé was forced off with a thigh injury and was replaced by Ferran Torres. PSG went ahead in the 38th minute when Désiré Doué capitalized on Lamine Yamal losing the ball in his own half and fired into the bottom corner.
Lead after lead
Barcelona equalized early in the second half through Xavi Espart, who scored his second goal as a professional from a Fermín López pass. Lucas Hernández, playing at left back in the absence of Nuno Mendes, put PSG back in front with a header from a corner in the 72nd minute. It was his third goal in a Paris shirt and his first since February 2024.
Lamine Yamal leveled again in the 79th minute with his 10th goal of the season, but just two minutes later Vitinha chested the ball down and struck powerfully from outside the box. Fabián Ruiz sealed the result from close range in the 86th minute.
End of the Catalan run
With the win, PSG stays on top with nine points from three games and has seven straight wins in the league and the Champions League. Barcelona, which had started the season with 11 consecutive wins in all competitions, suffered its first defeat. According to sports media, coach Hansi Flick admitted after the match that his team made “a lot of mistakes.” The Catalans host Real Madrid in El Clásico on Sunday, while PSG must assess the condition of Dembélé and Kvaratskhelia.
