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)

HOUSTON (AP) — Fast-moving thunderstorms pummeled southeastern Texas for the second time this month, killing at least four people, blowing out windows in high-rise buildings, downing trees and knocking out power to more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the Houston area.

Officials urged residents to keep off roads following Thursday's storms, as many were impassable and traffic lights were out. The storm system moved through swiftly, but flood watches and warnings remained Friday for Houston and areas to the east.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire said four people died during the severe weather. At least two of the deaths were caused by falling trees and another happened when a crane blew over in strong winds, officials said.

Houston’s streets were flooded and trees and power lines were down across the region. Whitmire said wind speeds reached 100 mph (160 kph) “with some twisters.” Whitmire said the powerful gusts were reminiscent of 2008’s Hurricane Ike, which pounded the city.

“Stay at home tonight. Do not go to work tomorrow, unless you’re an essential worker. Stay home, take care of your children,” Whitmire said in a Thursday evening briefing. “Our first responders will be working around the clock.”

Gulf Coast states could experience scattered, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. Heavy to excessive rainfall is possible for eastern Louisiana into central Alabama on Friday, the National Weather Service said.

In Houston, hundreds of windows were shattered at downtown hotels and office buildings, with glass littering the streets below, and the state was sending Department of Public Safety officers to secure the area.

“Downtown is a mess,” Whitmire said, adding that there was a backlog of 911 calls first responders were working through.

The ferocious storms also moved into neighboring Louisiana and left more than 215,000 customers without power. More than 100,000 Entergy Louisiana customers in the New Orleans area lost power, NOLA.com reported.

The Storm Prediction Center’s website showed a report of a tornado in Convent, Louisiana, about 55 miles (89 kilometers) from New Orleans, with multiple reports of trees and power poles down.

There were wind gusts of 84 mph (135 kph) at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and 82 mph (132 kph) at New Orleans Lakefront Airport, according to Tim Erickson, a meteorologist at the weather service’s office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

The office for New Orleans and Baton Rouge issued a flash flood warning through Saturday.

At Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros, the retractable roof was closed due to the storm. But the wind was so powerful it still blew rain into the stadium. Puddles formed on the outfield warning track, but the game against the Oakland Athletics still was played.

School districts across the Houston area canceled classes Friday for more than 400,000 students.

Flights were briefly grounded at Houston's two major airports. Sustained winds topping 60 mph (96 kph) were recorded at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

About 900,000 customers were without electricity in and around Harris County, which contains Houston, according to poweroutage.us. The county is home to more than 4.7 million people.

CenterPoint Energy warned customers to “be prepared for extended weather-related power outages.”

The problems extended to the city's suburbs, with emergency officials in neighboring Montgomery County describing the damage to transmission lines as “catastrophic” and warning that power could be impacted for several days.

Heavy storms slammed the Houston area during the first week of May, leading to numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes.

The story has been updated to correct that school districts across the Houston area canceled classes Friday, not just the Houston Independent School District.

Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington, and Weber from Los Angeles.

Houston Police officers move a fallen tree out of the street at Prairie and Travis Street downtown after a strong thunderstorm moved through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Shattered glass covers the street outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown after a severe thunderstorm passed through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A worker walks down a street covered in glass caused by damage from a severe thunderstorm that passed through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A building has blownout windows caused from damage after a severe thunderstorm passed through downtown is shown Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Downtown streets are covered in broken glass in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

People stop to take pictures of damage after a severe thunderstorm passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Members of the Relief Gang help remove fallen tree limbs from crushed cars in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Shattered glass covers the street outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown after a severe thunderstorm passed through, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Debris fills the feeder road near Interstate 10 and Interstate 45 near downtown Houston after severe storms passed through the area Thursday, May 16, 2024 (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Workers clean up damage inside a downtown restaurant after a severe thunderstorm passed through downtown Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Shattered glass covers the street outside the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown after a severe thunderstorm passed through Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A worker sweeps up shards of broken glass on McKinney near Travis after heavy wind and rain ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Workers pause to look a building with blownout glass windows caused by damage from a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Rain blows in from the windows as a severe thunderstorm hit before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Rapper Trae tha Truth, in yellow, cuts fallen tree limbs on top of a car in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A damaged building is shown in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm that passed through downtown, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Fans make their way into Minute Maid Park as a severe thunderstorm hit before a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Houston Astros, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Workers clean up broken glass inside a damaged downtown restaurant after a severe thunderstorm, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A car crushed by falling bricks from a fallen building wall sits in a downtown parking lot after a severe thunderstorm passed through, Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

A boy walks past a large tree that fell on a home after heavy wind and rain ripped through the region Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Houston. (Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Transmission power lines are down near the Grand Parkway and West Road after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress, Texas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Transmission power lines are down near the Grand Parkway and West Road after a storm Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Cypress, Texas. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP)