Brazilian winger Raphinha emerged as the hero for Barcelona, scoring two crucial goals to help the Catalan giants overturn a first-half deficit and defeat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash at the Parc des Princes.
Raphinha's brace, including the decisive late winner, capped a remarkable comeback for Barcelona and gave them a crucial advantage heading into the second leg at the Camp Nou next week.
"Raphinha was outstanding tonight," said Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez after the match. "He showed incredible composure and quality in front of goal to turn this game around for us. This was a hugely important victory, but we know the job is only half done."
The visitors fell behind early on when Raphinha capitalized on a mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma to give PSG the lead. However, Barcelona responded superbly in the second half, with Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha striking in quick succession to put the hosts ahead.
But Raphinha brought Barcelona level with a composed finish after being played through by substitute Pedri, and the Brazilian then headed home the winner late on following a pinpoint cross from Andreas Christensen, who had also come off the bench.
"We knew we had to dig deep and fight our way back into this tie," said Raphinha. "The team showed great character to overcome that early setback and take the game to PSG. This is a huge result for us, but we can't get carried away - there's still a lot of work to be done."
Christensen's impact as a substitute was particularly significant, with the Danish defender scoring the decisive goal just moments after coming on. Xavi praised the 27-year-old's decisive contribution.
"Andreas is a true professional and he showed his quality tonight," the Barcelona boss said. "To come off the bench and make such an immediate impact speaks volumes about his mentality and desire to succeed. He's been a fantastic addition to our squad."
The result leaves Barcelona in a strong position to reach the Champions League semi-finals, but Xavi warned that the job is far from over against a dangerous PSG side.
"We know PSG will throw everything at us in the second leg," he said. "They have world-class players who can hurt us if we're not at our best. We'll enjoy this victory, but we'll need to be even better next week to finish the job."
Raphinha's heroics will undoubtedly grab the headlines, but Xavi will be equally pleased with the resilience and character shown by his team to overcome a testing first-half deficit. If Barcelona can replicate this level of performance in the return fixture, they will fancy their chances of progressing to the last four of Europe's premier club competition.
