“La Remontada” PSG vs Barcelona: Greatest Comeback in Football

PSG vs. Barcelona: “La Remontada”

“La Remontada” is the name given to describe one of the most dramatic comebacks in the history of football. This occurred during the UCL Round of 16 match on March 8th, 2017 between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and FC Barcelona. The game is iconic and therefore so named because of the unparalleled tension and emotional swing as it ended, sparking debates for some of the events that went down during the game.

Context –

The first leg of the tie was on February 14, 2017, at Parc des Princes where PSG shocked visitors Barcelona to an astonishing 4-0 victory. This left the Spanish side with a worrying position going into the return leg at Camp Nou, where they had to make history to come back and win in order to get qualified for the quarter-finals.

The Second Leg: March 8, 2017 –

The electric atmosphere at Camp Nou was expected to fire Barcelona’s hopes to overturn the 4-0 deficit. And thus the match began with a desperate effort on the part of Barcelona, fighting for an early goal. Within the initial three minutes of the match, the strike came when Luis Suárez scored, giving rise to hope among the fans as well as the players.

High Point of the Match

In the First Half:-

Barcelona were getting ahead and, in the 50th minute, Layvin Kurzawa scores an own goal that reduces the aggregate score to 4-2

With the advantage now in favour of Barcelona, Neymar then equalizes a great free kick in the 88th minute, reducing the deficit to 4-3.

Thrilling End –

Neymar scored a goal as the game entered its dying minutes. The scoreline was now 4-4 aggregate, with this one coming in the 91st minute through a penalty for Barcelona. This was enough for Barcelona to require only one goal to take this match into the bag through away goals.

The Final Whistle:

In a frenetic setting, composed Neymar was on the scene as he laid the ball to Sergi Roberto and helped him find his way in striking in the winning goal in the 95th minute. This marked a night 6-1 victory and one on aggregate by 6-5.

Reaction and Postmatch –

And then the match came to an abrupt end in a scenario where the Barcelona players and fans went home jubilant and in extreme ecstasy, whereas the PSG players were left unbelievable and shocked. The mental aspects of football talk flooded headlines following the match as PSG were subjected to heavy criticism for their group psychological implosion.

Controversies –

The game was not exempt from controversies as regards the following cases:

Officiating Decisions: There were queries about the refereeing in some of the decisions; some even pointed out dubious officiating by the deciding penalty for Barcelona. PSG’s Game: There was much ado about the youngsters getting nervous in the final minutes and not having enough tactical composure, which raises issues regarding their mental strength.

Legacy –

“La Remontada” entered the pages of history books and both clubs’ legends for the both in question. It was only at night that the personality of Barcelona showed itself to be, once again, one of the best clubs in the world: fighting spirit within a force formidable on attack. For PSG, it marked an awakening on the mental aspects of the game and their aspirations in Europe.

The term “La Remontada” has since been used to refer to other sporting comebacks, forever etched within the football lexicon, and is always cited in argument over any greatest moments in UEFA Champions League history.

The next few years saw both clubs change dramatically. PSG kept investing to get the best talent in pursuit of its first Champions League title, whereas Barcelona looked to keep themselves amongst the elite of Europe, although they had problems in dealing with this.

Conclusion –

“La Remontada is just one of those examples which created a symbol of hope and belief in this game so unpredictable as football. Its fortune’s speed, often turning to be the speedy ball: an attractive characteristic, suspended common perceptions of football all over the world, allowing fans to go on an emotional roller coaster and discussion on resilience and strategy remaining to this very day.