Zimpapers Logo

SNIPER . . . Luis Suarez grabbed a crucial double on Wednesday night that gave Barcelona a strong foundation for a semi-final berth

Luis Suarez hit a brilliant second-half double as Barcelona appeared to end Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League dream for another year with a 3-1 quarter-final, first leg win at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

The visitors’ all-star attack made their class count as Neymar coolly converted from a Lionel Messi assist in the 18th minute to put Luis Enrique’s men in control, before Suarez produced two classy finishes in the final quarter of the game.

PSG got one back eight minutes from time from what was credited as a Jeremy Mathieu own-goal from a Gregory van der Wiel shot, but this was their first home defeat of the season and a first loss at home in Europe in 34 matches since 2006.

Next Tuesday’s second leg at the Camp Nou now looks set to be a formality, even if PSG will have their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfield maestro Marco Verratti back from suspension by then.

“We were superior in midfield, were dangerous going forward and defended well as a team. It was a complete performance from us,” said Luis Enrique.

“But we are not going to make the mistake of thinking the tie is finished.”

The French champions have been eliminated on away goals at this stage of the competition in each of the last two seasons, including against Barca in 2013, but they will do very well to even make it that close on this occasion.

And their evening was further marred by the loss of captain Thiago Silva, who hobbled off just after Neymar’s opener with an apparent thigh problem.

A dejected Silva walked straight off the field to have his left thigh bandaged up, not even waiting until his fellow-Brazilian David Luiz was ready to take his place.

The former Chelsea stopper was a surprise inclusion in the squad after travelling to Russia for treatment on a hamstring injury that was expected to sideline him for around three more weeks.

But even with Silva on the field, Paris looked uncomfortable against Barcelona’s attack. The match was only 14 minutes old when Suarez found Messi on the edge of the area, the Argentine controlling the ball and curling a wicked shot off the left post before it rebounded out to safety.

Messi, who has scored 45 goals in all competitions this season, provided a 25th assist soon after, sliding a pass into the path of Neymar, who finished across Salvatore Sirigu with the PSG defence posted missing after Adrien Rabiot lost possession on the right wing.

After crashing into Messi in the lead-up to that goal, Silva hobbled off, and Luiz had taken his place in time to see Neymar cut into the box and send in a shot that Sirigu, this time, saved comfortably.

It took 35 minutes for PSG to force Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the Barcelona goal into a save, and even then it was an easy catch as Edinson Cavani hooked a Maxwell cross on target.

There was a further scare for the hosts as Sirigu came up clutching his left arm after falling awkwardly while saving a Suarez shot, but the Italian goalkeeper was able to carry on.

PSG had a greater purpose about them at the start of the second half, and both Javier Pastore and Rabiot forced saves from ter Stegen, before Barcelona were dealt an injury blow of their own as captain Andres Iniesta had to be stretchered off after taking a knee in the lower back from Pastore.

However, Barcelona again undid the PSG defence midway through the second half, Suarez eliminating Luiz and Marquinhos as he cut into the area from the right before holding off Maxwell and prodding past Sirigu at his near post.

Ter Stegen blocked a thunderous Cavani shot before the classy Suarez struck again on 79 minutes, playing a quick one-two with Javier Mascherano and nutmegging the hapless Luiz before lashing a shot high into the top-right corner.

That appeared to be that, although PSG were given the smallest glimmer of hope when Van der Wiel’s volley from outside the area beat ter Stegen with the aid of a decisive touch off substitute Mathieu.

On the same night Porto put one foot in the semi-finals after their shock 3-1 win at home over Bayern Munich in the first leg.

Porto carry a weighty advantage to Munich for Tuesday’s return leg at the Allianz Arena while Bayern have a glimmer of hope after their away goal, but still need to score at least twice at home.

“That result is a surprise and we knew it wouldn’t be easy against a side who control possession,” said Porto captain and goal-scorer Jackson Martinez.

“But we took our chances and proved that we can play too.

“I don’t feel 100 percent still, but I trained hard in the last few days and was pleased to get a goal,” he added having missed the previous six weeks with a hamstring injury.

In Munich, Porto will be without Real Madrid-bound defender Danilo, who is suspended after picking up a late yellow, but they deserved their win after exploiting mistakes by Bayern’s Xabi Alonso and Dante.

“We always want to play from the back and this style can sometimes be dangerous, but mistakes are part of football,” said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.

“The 3-1 defeat hurts, but nevertheless there is still all to play for in the return leg.”

Host coach Julen Lopetegui got one over his ex-Barcelona teammate Pep Guardiola with Porto poised for a first semi-final appearance since 2004 when they won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho.

Lopetegui had said Porto needed to be the ‘perfect protagonists’ against Guardiola’s Bayern and they got off to a dream start as right winger Ricardo Quaresma scored twice in the opening 10 minutes.

Bayern pulled one back through Thiago Alcantara with 28 minutes gone.

But Porto captain Martinez, a surprise inclusion after six weeks out, added their third on 65 minutes for his 27th goal of the season.

The hosts rattled the German giants at Porto’s Estadio do Dragao and had the five-time European champions immediately on the back foot.

In the opening exchanges, Martinez pressed Bayern midfielder Xabi Alonso into a rare mistake on the edge of the area and charged straight at Manuel Neuer.

The Germany goalkeeper brought the Porto skipper down trying to clear the danger and when Spanish referee Carlos Carballo pointed to the spot, Quaresma drilled home the third-minute penalty.

Porto doubled their lead when Dante took too long on the ball, Quaresma pressed him into a mistake and sprinted clear before some clinical finishing put the hosts 2-0 up after just 10 minutes.

It was his fifth goal in three games for the 31-year-old Portugal veteran.

Bayern were without injured wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, plus midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, but still enjoyed 70 percent possession and made it count by scoring from their first real chance.

Centre-back Jerome Boateng put in a low cross from the right and Thiago stabbed home from close range to put the Bavarians back in the game. —AFP.