PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain withstood early pressure from a much-improved Barcelona side to draw 1-1 at Wednesday and reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
PSG lead 4-1 from the first leg of their round-of-16 game and moved four goals clear when Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat trick at Camp Nou, netted with a confident penalty in the 31st minute.
That goal was firmly against the run of play and, after Barca had squandered possession and chances, Messi equalized in the 37th with a powerful shot from 25 meters that tore into the top left corner.
But the six-time Golden Ball winner then had a penalty saved by goalkeeper Keylor Navas on the stroke of halftime, his first miss from the spot in the Champions League since 2015.
Barcelona could have been ahead at halftime, anyway, if not for some very wasteful play from winger Ousmane Dembele in terms of both sloppy passing and poor finishing.
Barca kept probing in the second half, and Messi had a chance from close range in the 61st but hesitated a split-second before shooting and allowed defender Marquinhos to block his shot with the goal gaping.
At the same stage of the competition four years ago, Barcelona lost 4-0 in Paris only to win 6-1 at Camp Nou in one of the greatest comebacks in Champions League history.
Neymar and Messi tormented PSG that night, but there was to be no reply this time.
Barca’s coach Ronald Koeman made three substitutions for the closing stages, but the visitors’ hopes gradually fizzled out as a cold wind whipped around Parc des Princes.