We almost ended up forgetting his madness, his sense of percussion, this dynamism and this carefreeness that does so much good in a studious but sometimes too academic PSG. We are exaggerating a little, but it has been a month since Bradley Barcola did not start a game starting with the Parisian team, the blame was on an injury to his left hamstring that had kept him on the sidelines for about twenty days.
But for 90 minutes, this Tuesday 16 April evening during PSG’s qualifier against Barça, the France Espoirs international came to remind us why and how he managed to find his place in this starting eleven, taking the place of two. players recruited this summer at a high price – Randal Kolo Muani and Gonçalo Ramos – for just over five months now.
A caviar for Dembélé…
Aligned in the left lane in the attack, while the small set-up before the match dictated that he should start on the other side, the number 29 was the initiative in all the good moves, especially in the first period. It took a good dose of nerve and composure to prove to the whole of Europe that playing in a first quarter-final of the Champions League as a starter at the age of 21, for his second professional season, did not cause him to fear. He had already proved that in the 45 minutes of the first leg, when he came off the bench, he confirmed it from the start on Catalan soil.
From the start, it was he who placed the first banderillas, with small accelerations and well-adjusted falls for Vitinha (3rd) and Ruiz (10th). Not inhibited for a penny, Barcola continued to provoke in the left lane in the wake of Raphinha’s opening score and passed the second around the 25th, with a first cross for Kylian Mbappé, in the end dangerous. The rise of Nuno Mendes, after a very poor start, coincided with his own and the connection between the two men was in full swing when the time came to put Paris back into contention.
Symbol of this understanding: this deep pass from the Portuguese to “Speedy” Barcola, who deposed Ronald Araujo a few meters. Overwhelmed, the Uruguayan defender, although so impeccable until now, was pressed into error and found himself having to tackle the former Lyonnais at the entrance to the area. Logical red card sanction with serious consequences for the rest of the match.
…And a capital rescue in the area
Gradually, Barcola sowed here and there the promises of a stylish performance that took on another dimension in the 40th minute when he came to offer a caviar from the left, his bad foot, for Ousmane Dembélé, writer equaliser. A first decisive pass in the contest in the form of a logical reward while those around him push and encourage him to be a little more decisive in the final gesture.
A little more muted in the second period, leaving the spotlight to the goal scorers. Vitinha, Mbappé, the player trained at the Olympics was no less important as he marked himself in a completely different register by offering himself a decisive comeback at the feet of Ferran Torres in his own area. A precious capital save to cap off a performance that will count in the career of this carefree young man.
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