It was definitely the greatest ever comeback — it might even have been the greatest game of all time.
Barcelona were given mission impossible and they delivered with 30 seconds to spare — just enough time to get their entire bench of celebrating substitutes and coaching staff off the pitch — and for a heartbroken Paris Saint-Germain to take the restart.
‘This is a crazy sport,’ said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique. ‘There is nothing else like it. In the 41st minute (of the second half) we were out, but people kept believing and with the two substitutes we got the goal.
The visitors steadied the ship for most of the remainder of the first half before a calamitous piece of defending from Marquinhos and Layvin Kurzawa saw the latter hook the ball into his own net under pressure from Andres Iniesta.
Barcelona went into the dressing room at half-time with a 2-0 lead on the night and just five minutes into the second half they were 3-0 up when Lionel Messi emphatically converted from the penalty spot after Thomas Menuier had upended Neymar.
However, on 62 minutes, Edinson Cavani got the away goal PSG were hoping for when he hit a rasping volley directly over Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
That sparked life into Unai Emery’s PSG who had to avoid conceding three goals. They held out until the 88th minute when it all turned chaotic.
Brazilian ace Neymar masterminded the final part of the recoil with two goals and an assist in the final few minutes to send Barça through to the final eight.
He won a free-kick on the left flank before stepping up and sending the dead ball over the wall and inside Kevin Trapp’s top right-hand corner to make it 4-1 on the night.
In the first minute of injury-time, Suarez then drew plenty of contact from Marquinhos in the box and Neymar stepped up to coolly slot home the spot-kick from 12 yards to tie it all up.
Then as the home side pushed every man forward, including keeper ter Stegen, Neymar clipped a lovely left-footed ball into the area which found substitute Sergi Roberto who produced a clever sliding volley with the outside of his right foot to win it for Barcelona.
The scenes at the Nou Camp were like nothing you will ever see as the Catalan faithful celebrated with vigour after seeing an unbelievable response from their beloved players.
In Enrique’s final few months as Barça boss, they will now move into the quarter-finals as they get the chance to chase European glory when it all seemed lost midway through the second half tonight.
2016/17 UEFA Champions League – Round of 16 2nd leg
Barcelona (ESP): 6 (Luis Suarez 3′, Layvin Kurzawa (OG) 40′, Lionel Messi (PEN) 50′, Neymar 88’/90+1′, Sergi Roberto 90+4′)
PSG (FRA): 1 (Edinson Cavani 62′)
*Barcelona win 6-5 on aggregate
Nou Camp, Barcelona, Spain – 96,290
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