Barcelona, the La Liga champions, set a new record even in defeat in the Champions League. They lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes in Paris last night.
Within that defeat, Barca set a record that no club had managed before in the history of the Champions League.
It was the first defeat in any competition this season for Hansi Flick’s side, even though they twice came back from a goal down in the second half. PSG went ahead first through Desire Doue, and Lucas Hernandez put them in front again. Barca equalised both times. Xavi Espart, who has become a regular in the first team this season, scored the first equaliser, and Lamine Yamal the second, making it 2-2.
The match turned late on. Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz scored in the last 10 minutes of normal time, and those two goals won it for Luis Enrique’s side. It was a hard-fought match.
Barca lost, but Flick’s team selection put a remarkable record in the club’s name. According to the statistics account OptaJoe, Barca are now the first and only club to start four teenagers against the reigning Champions League holders.
Besides Espart and Yamal, the starting line-up included Pau Cubarsi and Marc Bernal. The German coach started all four, and took off Bernal and Espart in the second half.
Flick could have used two more teenagers. The 18-year-old defender Alex Campos and the striker Hamza Abdelkarim were on the bench, but neither came on. Abdelkarim, an Egypt international, has played two matches for Barca across all competitions this season. Campos, a Spain youth international, has not yet made his debut; this season he is playing for Barcelona B in the UEFA Youth League.
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