I've been avidly watching Barcelona's games now for god knows how many years and never seen anything like that. There have been some incredible last minute goals and moments that I have witnessed such as Rivaldo vs Valencia to tie up 4th place or the goal by Iniesta vs Chelsea in 2009, these are always moments that stand out above the rest. But the Sergi Roberto's last minute goal could well top that when looking back in the future, mainly due to the remarkable comeback(well 2 comebacks technically) prior to the goal, which looked utterly impossible and I doubt I will witness anything equal again in the Champions league knock out stages. It's got to be noted that PSG spend a ridiculous amount of money and are a team who are absolutely full to the brim of quality, so it's not like it was a simple a case of coming back against an average side after a howler of a first leg. In the first leg, it wasn't just a case of the away team being poor, but the home team playing marvellously well and showing their true quality. This was a strong opponent that Barça needed to score 5(well 6 in the end) against and to score 3 of those when there is 87 minutes gone off the clock seems unreal. You were having to pinch yourself to see if it hurt. At 3-0, it looked certain, but once Cavani scored, that certainty became practically zero.
Ter Stegen was an unsung hero. He made a few vital saves, but what stood out for me was when he came up for the corner late on, then decided to stay up there. He caused all types of problems for the opposition by doing this, he weren't just a keeper coming up to try and grab a late goal, but he actually had a presence and it played a massive part in the winning goal if you watch him carefully. What a keeper he is becoming in general. He's certainly grown this year after a shaky start to the season and he can only get even better with age. He makes mistakes, but all young keepers do at his age when they are still developing and gaining experience. You can't beat German keepers and Barcelona are in safe hands for potentially another ten years with him between the sticks.
On another note, Sergi Roberto has been the most heavily criticised player this season, so for him to be the one to grab the winning goal is great for the lad. The fact is, he's been played out of position for so long but if he played in midfield he would probably excel more in my opinion. I'd like to see him tried out more there, although it's difficult at the moment given that there is no other man to play at right back at all since the injury of Vidal. Speaking of the midfield, I think Rafinha is currently doing an excellent job and you can see why Enrique is starting to favour playing him a lot.
What can you say about Neymar? He's been class since he joined the club, although one thing lacking from his arsenal was him stepping up and making games like this his own. He's starting to show a lot of maturity to his game now and isn't just about his talent. If there is one thing you could be critical of him this season, it's the fact that despite being an absolute menace with his dribbling and showboating skills, his final product and decision making at the end of it had been poor, although it has been the total opposite recently, he's getting everything right again and with his new levels of maturity this now makes him one of the outright best and most dangerous players in the game currently. A great free-kick, a well taken penalty where he showed zero signs of nervousness, then to play a perfectly timed and weighed ball in like that with your weak foot rather than just hoof it into the box like 99% of players would in that position, really summed up the night he was having and the talent he possess. The team would have had a great go at making a comeback without the Brazilian's presence, although on the night, it wouldn't have been possible to actually achieve it without Neymar stepping up his game like he did. He was the decisive factor when it came to the crunch in the "second" comeback.
Busquets(who was man of the match until the 87th minute, where you'd then have to go on and give the torch to Neymar) and Rakitic regaining their form has also helped the cause ten-fold in recent games. It's those 2 being at their ultimate best that has been lacking all season as starting Gomes just doesn't work. Umtiti doesn't stop improving at the back either, it's just his injury problems that are a potential worry for the future. No player could really be criticised on the night as everyone worked hard and it wasn't necessarily just about outplaying the opponent(I've seen better performances by the team from a pure footballing perspective) but a lot of heart and determination on show. A never give up attitude and the players had the belief from kick off until the final whistle. The defenders were helping the attack, the attack were helping in defence(when needed) and nobody was reluctant to sacrifice themselves whenever required to.
As for the decisions. The first pen was fair, the one on Di Maria was debatable and the winning goal was nowhere near offside, although the second pen was definitely a dive by Luis Suarez.
By the way, I hope it's Dortmund in the next round as it's a fixture I've wanted to see for years. Due to how Dortmund play, I think it would make for an enthralling 2 games and is something different.
