This Barça – PSG had everything apart, even in a simple phase of Champions League group. For some, it was the missing remake last season. For others, revenge of a quarter -final disputed 18 months ago. But beyond collective stories, the match also brought an individual story: that of Lamine Yamal. The Catalan prodigy, Dauphin of Dembélé at the last Ballon d'Or, had announced that he wanted to settle his accounts and take his revenge, after the elimination suffered by Barça against Paris during the spring of 2024. In a Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys of substitution full like an egg in Montjuïc, the young Crack also lit the first locks and his inspirations.
However, the Spaniard quickly struck a major obstacle named Nuno Mendes, aligned on the left side. The former Sporting embodied the rampart which cooled the ardor of the Blaugrana jewel. After a quarter of an hour dominated by Yamal and punctuated by a monumental occasion saved by Zabarnyi, Nuno Mendes raised his rhythm, like this first duel won in power against the Spaniard who set the tone of his evening (30th). A few minutes later, the Portuguese could even have caused the expulsion of Frenkie de Jong on a counter launched by him. The 16 duels on the ground disputed, including 6 won and the 3 successful tackles with a blocked shot testify to his intense defensive activity. Despite some pain displayed and 13 bullet losses, number 25 has multiplied sharp feedback and interventions, recalling that it remains one of the very best specialists in the post in Europe.
In the oven and the mill
The psychological rocking came from there. Barça, which was based enormously on Yamal to create the danger, saw its influence reduced over the minutes. The 17 -year -old winger, who had started his match with a roulette applauded by any Montjuïc, ended up losing patience, often isolated and forced to transplant in the axis for lack of solution in the face of the speed and aggressiveness of Mendes. “”Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi are the best lateral in the world. No doubt. They are able to do everything. Especially nuno, but also Achraf. The two had an excellent level“Said Luis Enrique. PSG took advantage of this closure of the Catalan right corridor to breathe and project itself forward through Nuno Mendes which was not limited to defending. With 73 touched balloons, 93 % of successful passes, 4 key passes and 5 tempted centers, the offensive productivity of Mendes demonstrates its constant contribution. It is also on a signed breakthrough of the native of Sintra, concluded by a Cubarsí error, that Mayulu equalized just before the break. A turning point that changed the momentum of the meeting and that helped extinguish local enthusiasm.
“It was a good match, tight. We always believe in us, even with the injured players. Those who played today were tops. Senny (Mayulu), the young Quentin (Ndjantou) who entered. They are there to help us and do what we have to do: play football. We showed our work. Even with injuries, we were at the top ”said Nuno Mendes. The rest, we know it: a heroic PSG, decimated by absences, but capable of punishing a barça too dependent on the flashes of Yamal. Hakimi then Ramos concluded the Parisian feat in the last moments (1-2, 90th), and if the victory remains collective, it carries the discreet but capital of Nuno Mendes. His match symbolized the resilience of Parisians and he offered a lesson in the Catalan jewel, still learning against the elite. Announced as the one who was to take revenge and illuminate the evening, Lamine Yamal left frustrated, suffocated by a lateral who, despite his repeated injuries, remains capable of extinguishing the greatest stars.
