'If you are the best, show it on the pitch'

Before the highly anticipated game between Barcelona and PSG, Lamin Yamal posted an Instagram photo where he was seen wearing the Spain jersey, sitting calmly on a railing with this caption: "Pressure?" He also announced his desire to hit hard against the reigning champions: "I'm back and the mission is back too" he said. Pedri talked about ‘revenge’ before the game because his teammates though that they should have won the Champions League last season, before PSG prevented them. But those were all words. Minutes after the game finished last night, Yamal deleted his Instagram post. But it was too late. PSG players have all seen it and decided not to respond on the social networks but on the pitch.

PSG stun Barcelona with a late winner

Ever since Qatari billions entered the Parc des Princes, the rivalry between Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain has become one of the biggest in European football. Last night was already their 13th head-to-head clash in the Champions League over the past 12 years. And while PSG for years believed it could buy football, power, and results, Barcelona kept proving time and again that there are things money cannot buy — that football identity depends on more than just purchasing players. And now PSG got that too. Not only did they become the European champions with such a young team, but they defeated Barcelona twice in a row in Spain – first time mainly due to Araujo’s red card and the second time last night without a host of their star players (Dembele, Doue, Marquinhos and Kvaratskhelia). And they did it all by staying humble. But, they talked after the game.

"We're the European champions, I can't say more than that. If you're the best, you have to show it on the pitch, not talk" said the match winner Goncalo Ramos. His teammates Vitinha also shared the same feeling.

"It happens sometimes. There are often statements made before matches, and it can happen. We don't give a damn. We don't care, we just want to play the match, we won, and we're happy about that. We were behind against one of the best teams in Europe away from home, and even then, you manage to come through in the second half and turn the game around. It's a great statement from our team. I want to thank all my teammates" said Vitinha.

Never forget your roots: Dembele's mom announces Ballon d'Or tour of Africa

Barcelona boss Hansi Flick had no problem admitting that his players are not on the same level with PSG.

"There's no point where we can say we were at the same level, but I believe in my team. We weren't having a great day, but we'll work to reach that level again. That's football. Okay, we lost this match, but we want to come back. To do that, we'll have to work on what we didn't do well. And we will” said the German.

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Thursday

19.45: (2.00) Bologna (3.50) Freiburg (4.10)

19.45: (2.05) Brann (3.45) Utrecht (3.60)

19.45: (1.88) Celtic (3.85) Braga (4.15)

19.45: (2.70) FCSB (3.35) Young Boys (2.65)

19.45: (1.80) Fenerbahce (3.70) Nice (5.00)

19.45: (4.60) Ludogorets (3.70) Betis (1.77)

19.45: (1.60) Panathinaikos (4.25) Go Ahead (5.25)

19.45: (1.90) Plzen (3.70) Malmo (4.30)

19.45: (1.72) Roma (4.00) Lille (5.05)

22.00: (3.75) Basel (3.80) Stuttgart (1.92)

22.00: (1.80) Celta (3.70) PAOK (5.00)

22.00: (3.20) Feyenoord (3.50) Aston Villa (2.35)

22.00: (1.77) Genk (4.00) Ferencvaros (4.25)

22.00: (2.80) Maccabi T.A. (3.50) Dinamo Zagreb (2.60)

22.00: (1.48) Nott.Forest (4.75) Midtjylland (6.30)

22.00: (1.62) Olympique Lyon (4.10) Salzburg (5.25)

22.00: (1.55) Porto (4.50) Crvena Zvezda (7.00)

22.00: (2.10) Sturm (3.70) Rangers (3.60)

* odds are subject to change