The only notion of
anything relating to Valentine's Day at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday was the
massacre Paris
Saint-Germain handed out to Barcelona in their Champions League
tie.
But on a night when Angel di Maria and Edinson Cavani celebrated
birthdays, the pair were given the priceless gift of a Barca capitulation as
the duo played key roles in the French side's stunning 4-0 last-16 win.
Di Maria scored a
free-kick and a stunning 23-yard strike on his 29th birthday, while Cavani, a
year older, completed the rout by netting the fourth 19 minutes from the end.
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Paris
Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani shows
off hiscake to mark his 30th birthday
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Sparks flew as two-goal
hero Angel di Maria was
presented with a cake for his 29th birthday
Having sparkled on the
pitch, the South American duo then celebrated the victory and their birthdays
in the dressing room post-match with a cake lit up just as brightly as they had
illuminated the Parc des Princes turf earlier.
Di Maria needed just an
hour to humiliate the Spanish champions before being replaced to a standing
ovation and admitted that it capped off a perfect evening.
'It was a very special
day,' Di Maria said. 'It's impossible to have a better performance and
birthday. It was a wonderful display and fully deserved.
'We controlled the game
for 90 minutes. It was hard to control Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi but
we managed it in the end.
Di Maria celebrates with
team-mates Marco Verratti (left) and Julian Draxler after scoring
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Cavani slides on his
knees to celebrate having fired in PSG's fourth goal against Barcelona
'We covered so much
ground, got the win and took a huge step forward. We've been showing this
(quality) for a few years now.
'Our aim is to win the
Champions League. We had a tough game against one of the best teams in the
world and we did great. There is still more to do at the Camp Nou, they will
put pressure on us and to get through we'll have to do the same as what we did tonight.'
Julian Draxler was also
on the scoresheet for PSG to help inflict the joint heaviest ever Champions
League defeat on Barcelona.
No side has ever come
back from 4-0 down in a first leg Champions League tie, making PSG almost
certainties to progress to the quarter-finals ahead of the second leg in
Barcelona on March 8.
