PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain followed up its four goals against Manchester City with another four against Barcelona in the Champions League.
Two big tests passed and PSG’s bid for a third straight title is off to a rampant start with three wins in a row and 14 goals scored overall.
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Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, center, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, is challenged by PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
PSG's Fabian Ruiz scores their fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
PSG's Desire Doue celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The 4-2 victory at home to five-time champion Barcelona on Tuesday followed the 4-2 win at City last week.
Home and away, PSG is showing its attacking might, the depth of its squad and the self-belief of its players.
“I have the best players in the world, at least for me they are the best," PSG coach Luis Enrique said. "That's what I always tell them.”
Despite losing Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to injury, PSG found a way through as its relentless pressure led to two late goals against previously-unbeaten Barcelona in a blockbuster.
“We have the ability to overcome difficult situations,” Luis Enrique said. “It shows what type of team we are, with the capacity to adapt all the time. It’s easier for us to keep going because we can feel the energy of our fans."
A brilliant strike from Vitinha in the 81st minute and a close-range goal from Fabian Ruiz sealed victory for the two-time defending champion.
“We never feel like we're powerless, or that we're beaten in any way," said Désiré Doué, who scored PSG's opening goal. "We always know there’s an opportunity as long as the final whistle hasn’t gone.”
By the end, jubilant PSG fans taunted Barcelona’s players with chants of “Olé” every time they touched the ball.
Not even a latest mesmerizing solo goal from 19-year-old star Lamine Yamal was enough for Barca as the Catalan club's 11-game winning run came to an end at Parc des Princes.
Yamal equalized for free-scoring Barcelona for the second time, when his goal in the 79th minute made it 2-2.
The 19-year-old forward chested down a botched headed clearance from substitute Warren Zaire-Emery and ghosted past him down the right flank with ease before stabbing the ball inside the post. It was the Catalan club's 50th goal in 12 games this season, 10 of them for Spain sensation Yamal.
Two minutes later, PSG was back in front as inspirational midfielder Vitinha controlled the ball with his chest on the edge of the area and slammed a powerful shot past Joan García into the bottom corner.
Doué had scored with a fine effort late in the first half, while his corner was headed in by Lucas Hernandez in the 72nd.
Right back Havi Espart ran through unopposed and struck a low shot into the bottom corner to make it 1-1.
When Barcelona was on top, PSG's forwards defended from the front in a team which has gained in maturity and leadership.
“We have to highlight the work of the entire team,” Doué said. "The way our defenders worked, the midfielders, the attackers, it was incredible. We all did the job today.”
The only sour notes were the injuries, with captain Marquinhos also coming off in the second half.
See AP’s full soccer coverage here
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, center, scores his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, left, is challenged by PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
PSG's Fabian Ruiz scores their fourth goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
PSG's Desire Doue celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona in Paris, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bill Clinton famously said he could feel voters’ pain over the economy. But these days, when it comes to questions about high prices, President Donald Trump insists that the pain is his.
“They hit me with affordability, and that’s the first time I ever heard the word used,” he complained in Nebraska earlier this month.
The White House leaves Vice President JD Vance to use a softer touch. Last month in Texas, he admitted “there are people out there who are frustrated by the pace of progress." And during a CBS News town hall on Saturday, Vance said, “I recognize that gas prices are too high right now" and "we’re working on it.”
Depending on which Republican is speaking, Americans are getting a different perspective on how bad things are with the economy. Trump says “the golden age of America is upon us.” Vance walks a tightrope to show that he knows voters are feeling an economic pinch while still selling them on Trump's agenda.
The disconnect comes as Americans’ confidence in the economy sank to the lowest level in more than a decade this month, the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate jumped this month to its highest level in nearly three years and the unemployment rate ticked up last month.
Recent economic data released this month shows that high gasoline prices are intensifying inflation and more expensive oil and gas have begun to push prices up in other parts of the economy.
While most of Trump's supporters don't hold him at fault, some acknowledge that the president's penchant for salesmanship may not hit the mark.
"I think he talks it up,” said Conda Little, a 76-year-old retiree who went to see Trump in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday. “I think Vance is more real.”
Little takes the president at his word that he will achieve a victory over Iran in a way that benefits U.S. consumers back home. But she said it’s impossible to deny the fallout from the conflict.
“Everybody’s real upset about the gas” and “groceries are out of sight,” she said. “It’s hard. It’s really hard,” she said, adding that, “I think that people need to hear the truth.”
Trump is loath to acknowledge concerns. He told reporters earlier this month that he gives himself “an A+ on the government, on economics, on everything.” He has dismissed concerns about high costs, arguing that concerns about affordability are a “hoax.”
“We’re in the golden age of America. So our nation is doing better now than ever before,” he told a crowd in Kentucky on Saturday while campaigning for Republican candidates.
Trump has occasionally acknowledged that gas prices are high, but has called it “a small price to pay” for keeping the country and the world safe with the Iran war.
Trump’s discordant message with one of the top concerns voters are voicing ahead of the midterm elections has seemed heightened by his fixation on beautifying Washington and building a large ballroom at the White House.
During a visit this month to an economically struggling corner of Arizona, he regaled the crowd with the story about how he ended up with a luxury jet gifted by Qatar to use as Air Force One.
Vance, as he crisscrosses the country, is quick to say that the administration has more work to do.
To cast blame, the vice president often says that his administration’s Democratic predecessors put the country in such a deep hole that they need more time to climb out.
To show empathy, he often references his own experience growing up in a working-class family in a Rust Belt town. That's far different than Trump, who comes from a wealthy family, is a billionaire and even joked during his speeches on Friday and Saturday that if people have lunch at his Mar-a-Lago club, "for $5,000, you’ll get one hamburger and a small dessert.”
Vance, during a CBS News town hall that aired on Saturday, said: “I grew up in a working-class family. When gas prices were high, I know that it made my grandmother suffer, and I’m sure that you’re struggling with it in a variety of ways."
When asked by the moderator about the mixed message he and Trump are giving on the economy, Vance said Trump was speaking about new investments coming into the country, but said the changes take time.
“We need to do more, and we can certainly do better,” he acknowledged.
Some voters said Trump’s rosy view on the economy turns them away, like Santiago Rodriguez, a 19-year-old Texas college student who will be voting for the first time this year.
Rodriguez, who attended a campaign rally last week for Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, said he would consider voting for a Republican but not while Trump is in charge because he doesn’t grasp the high cost of living for Americans.
“I think he’s out of touch, I think he’s never seen what a true day as a Texan or anybody in general who is in the working class,” Rodriguez said.
Trump's most loyal supporters aren’t interested in blaming high prices on anything the president has done.
Cindy Massengill, a 67-year-old who came to see Trump in Dalton, Georgia, said she felt he’s doing the best he can.
“I’m positive that he’s got done more than any other president after the mess we were left with Obama and Biden,” she said.
Mary Bunker, a 67-year-old Republican who attended Trump’s Monday rally near Wichita, Kansas, said she works multiple jobs, including as a waitress and DoorDash driver.
She feels the pressure of high gas prices, but she likes the tax breaks that Trump signed into law last year and she doesn’t fault the way he speaks about economic concerns.
“I think he’s a very good businessman,” Bunker said. “He’s been in business a long time, so I think he knows what he’s talking about.”
Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Dalton, Georgia, Jesse Bedayn in San Marcos, Texas, and Nicholas Ingram in Park City, Kansas, contributed to this report.
Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump listen as Andrew Ferguson, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Washington, as Vice President JD Vance listens. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
