Raphinha scores twice as Barcelona beats PSG 3-2 in 1st leg of Champions League quarterfinals

PARIS (AP) — With his team trailing 2-1 and Paris Saint-Germain pushing hard for another goal, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández’s substitutions paid off immediately.

Midfielder Pedri set up the equalizer for Raphinha within a minute of coming on at Parc des Princes stadium.

Then, two minutes after his introduction, central defender Andreas Christensen headed home from a corner to give Barcelona a 3-2 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday.

"Pedri came on and helped us a lot. I’m very proud of the team. Christensen also came on and helped," Xavi said. “Tactically we did really well.”

Raphinha was the pick of Barcelona's players on the night, and the Brazil forward had scored twice before Christensen's 77th-minute goal.

The imposing Christensen headed İlkay Gündoğan's corner from the left past Gianluigi Donnarumma from close range as the PSG goalkeeper stood rooted to his line instead of challenging for the ball.

After that goal, PSG coach Luis Enrique's head dropped.

“We made things a bit difficult for ourselves. We managed to turn things around in the second half and could have had a third (goal),” Enrique said. “Everything’s still open for us and we will go there with ambition.”

Raphinha's lively performance and finishing contrasted with a lackluster performance from Kylian Mbappé, who has scored a club record 251 goals for PSG but did not hit the target this time or make many of his trademark electric runs from deep.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 37th and Ousmane Dembélé equalized in the 48th against his former club. Three minutes later, midfielder Vitinha put PSG ahead from Fabián Ruiz's pass in a pulsating match where Dembélé hit the left post moments before Christensen's goal.

Raphinha curled Barcelona ahead after Donnarumma struggled with Lamine Yamal's slick right-wing cross, which the 16-year-old Spain winger exquisitely flicked with the outside of his left foot.

Sloppy defending from both sides followed.

Mbappé's left-wing cross was hacked clear by Ronald Araújo and fell to Dembélé, who cut inside Frenkie de Jong and slammed the ball past goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.

Vitinha was afforded too much space from Fabián Ruiz's pass, and slid a shot under his body.

Raphinha read substitute Pedri's superbly weighted long pass and clipped a volley past Donnarumma, making it 2-2 in the 62nd ahead of Christensen's winner. Raphinha turned and stood still, arms crossed, defying the PSG crowd jeering him.

A fan ran onto the field seconds after the final whistle but was quickly caught by stewards.

The return leg is next Tuesday in Spain.

In the other quarterfinal Wednesday, Atlético Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home.

The rivalry between PSG and Barcelona has intensified in recent years, with Barcelona again in the driver's seat.

PSG knocked Barcelona out in the round of 16 in 2021, but endured quarterfinal exits in 2013 and 2015. Then, in March 2017, Enrique’s Barca routed PSG 6-1 in the return leg of their last-16 match to make Champions League comeback history after losing 4-0.

PSG does not need a comeback of that magnitude but must improve.

“We pressed very high up the field and they tried to break our lines to find (striker Robert) Lewandowski. They did it very well and it caused us problems,” PSG captain Marquinhos said. “It’s true that the small details make the difference. Conceding a goal from a corner, and allowing a second goal with the ball going in behind us. It’s something we can’t afford to do next week.”

Mbappé may need to play far better than he did in Wednesday's game, which went ahead with a reinforced security presence an alleged Islamic State terror threat against Champions League matches this week. Some armed police were stationed around the stadium but there were no incidents.

Achraf Hakimi’s suspension forced Enrique into a reshuffle and he placed Marquinhos at right back. Surprisingly, midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery was on the bench.

PSG made a bright start before the visitors took control.

Lewandowski’s header from Gündoğan’s cross was cleared off the line by Nuno Gomes and, moments later, Raphinha’s low drive drew a save from Donnarumma.

Donnarumma was at fault for the opening goal when he fisted Lamina's cross down the middle of the penalty area and was then stranded when Raphinha shot first time.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Barcelona's Andreas Christensen celebrates with team mates scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

Barcelona's Raphinha, left, celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

Barcelona's Raphinha, right, scores his side's opening goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal attempts a shot at goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

Barcelona's Raphinha celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

PSG's Ousmane Dembele, right, celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

Barcelona's Andreas Christensen, center, right, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)

Barcelona's Raphinha celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League quarterfinal first leg soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, Wednesday, April 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican-led Legislature completed a last-ditch effort Thursday to revive a bill to regulate transgender people’s use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings.

Lawmakers pushed the proposal through the House and Senate in the final days of their four-month session after negotiations between the chambers broke down Monday on an earlier proposal. Republicans said they received a flurry of messages urging them to bring the bill back to life.

“This probably, to a lot of our constituents and to a lot of people in this chamber, is probably the most important bill that we brought up,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby, a Republican.

The legislation would require all public education institutions to equip their buildings with single-sex restrooms, changing areas and dormitories.

People would only be allowed to enter spaces that correspond to their sex assigned at birth, regardless of their appearance or any procedures they've had to affirm their gender identity. Those who violate the policy could be sued, but schools, colleges and universities would be protected from liability.

Democrats said the bill would put transgender people at risk. They also criticized Republicans for spending time on the issue as other legislative priorities remained unfinished.

"It just baffles me that we have things we can do to improve the state of Mississippi for all people, for all people, but we get so pumped on something that's national politics," said Rep. Jeffrey Hulum III, a Democrat. “It is not my job to criticize how people live their lives.”

Republicans said they were standing up for female family members on college campuses and pointed to several Republican women, wearing red, as they looked on from the Senate gallery.

One of those women was Anja Baker, a member of the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women from the Jackson suburb of Rankin County. Baker said she works with social service providers and was concerned women would be crowded out of spaces they rely on.

“They only have so many resources, and they need to have their locations and resources protected for the women that need them instead of getting caught in a game of identity politics,” Baker said.

Advocacy groups emailed her and other Republican women late Wednesday urging them to show up Thursday at the Capitol. That came after an initial measure mandating single-sex spaces stalled, causing an embittered back-and-forth between top legislators.

Just before a Monday night deadline, the House offered a plan that would let people file lawsuits seeking monetary damages if someone uses a bathroom not assigned to their gender, said Senate Judiciary A Committee Chairman Brice Wiggins, a Republican. Wiggins said that made it an unacceptable “trial lawyer bill."

House Judiciary A Committee Chairman Joey Hood, also a Republican, said the Senate forced the House into accepting a weaker proposal. The bill would let people sue, but they would be unable to claim compensatory damages from any lawsuit. As a result, Hood and other House members said the bill they ultimately approved would likely fail to deter people from entering spaces that don't align with their sex assigned at birth.

Hood said he hopes the Legislature would introduce legislation in 2025 with stronger penalties.

Another proposal failed this year that would have denied the legal recognition of transgender people by writing into law that “there are only two sexes, and every individual is either male or female.”

In 2021, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed legislation to ban transgender athletes from competing on girls’ or women’s sports teams. Last year, he signed a bill to ban gender-affirming hormones or surgery for anyone younger than 18.

The Mississippi proposals were among several bills being considered in state legislatures around the country as Republicans try to restrict transgender people’s access to gender-affirming care, bathrooms and sports, among other things.

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Michael Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him at @mikergoldberg.

Mississippi State Rep. Fabian Nelson, D-Jackson, asks for a clarification on a bill to regulate transgender people's use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. Jansen Owen, R-Poplarville, asks a question regarding a bill to regulate transgender people's use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. John Faulkner, D-Holly Springs, asks a question on a bill to regulate transgender people's use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Rep. Joey Hood, R-Ackerman, explains a bill to regulate transgender people's use of bathrooms, locker rooms and dormitories in public education buildings, before the House at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, holds a folder with files for the Senate Rules Committee, in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Bradford Blackmon, D-Canton, asks a question in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Angela Hill, R-Picayune, addresses the legislators in the Senate Chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Derrick Simmons, D-Greenville, gestures while speaking at the well before the body in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Mississippi State Sen. Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula, gestures while speaking at the well before the body in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A group of Republican women from throughout the state watch procedures in the Senate chamber at the state Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Thursday, May 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)