Neymar scored twice in the first half as FC Barcelona swept aside PSG to reach the semi-finals of UEFA Champions League for the seventh time in last eight years. Coach Luis Enrique hailed the display of his players as a as perfect as possiblea .
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti made a return from suspension for PSG but they had a mountain to climb having lost the first leg at home 3-1. And the Laurent Blanca s men never looked pulling off a miraculous comeback against mighty FC Barcelona. Instead, Neymar put the result beyond doubt by scoring two goals in the first half itself.
Andres Iniesta made a brilliant effort to beat two PSG defenders to set up the goal for Neymar, who did not make any mistake in beating David Luiz to score an opener in the 14th minute.
Dani Alves, who is heavily linked with a summer transfer to PSG, added more woes for the French champions as he set Neymar up for a header through a nice pass from the right wing. The Brazilian did not make any mistake to score through a header as FC Barcelona sealed their passage to the semis in the first half itself.
FC Barcelona dominated the proceedings in the second half as well, but they failed to score any goal. Luis Enrique was seemingly pleased with the display of his players and said after the game that it was a as perfect as possiblea .
“If we were fussy I’m sure I could find something wrong,” the FC Barcelona boss told reporters. “But if I wasn’t fussy, it would be hard to deny the players carried out the game-plan as perfectly as possible.
“It was brilliant to see the attitude of the players, the pressure we applied in the attacking half, the chances we created… It was a good team effort and good news for Catalunya.
However, despite praising the display of his players, Luis Enrique asked his soldiers to stay grounded and keep improving.
“But coaches always complain and can find room for improvement; a placid team is in danger of not foreseeing complications and can lose focus.a
FC Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta was also happy with the result of the game.
a Wea re pleased to qualify. Ita s another semi-final. Ia m happy to be involved. It was a good day for everyone,a said Iniesta.
a It wasna t an easy game but we approached it well. We came with intensity and took the game very seriously.