Xavi’s side were in danger of being overawed by a hostile Parisian crowd but the Barcelona boss used his bench to magnificent effect to turn the tie in their favour.

Brazil winger Raphinha gave them the lead, sweeping home a loose ball for his first Champions League goal after Gianluigi Donnarumma could only parry a low cross.

PSG responded immediately after the break though, with Ousmane Dembele firing into the roof of the net after a poor clearance and Vitinha finding the far corner after being fed in down the right.

Substitute Bradley Barcola then hit the bar for the hosts as they swarmed all over a Barcelona side playing at this stage of the competition for the first time since 2020.

Spain midfielder Pedri was introduced and his impact was immediate with a delightful ball over the PSG defence superbly volleyed home by Raphinha with the outside of his right foot.

Dembele clipped the outside of the post as both sides pressed, but it was Barcelona sub Andreas Christensen who found the winner, heading home a corner from four yards after being left unmarked in the centre of the goal.

The second leg takes place in Spain on Tuesday, 16 April.

Denmark centre-back Christensen suffered a sprained ankle in the 1-0 Champions League defeat by Inter Milan on Tuesday, and is a doubt for matches including the Clasico on 16 October.

“Tests carried out on Wednesday have confirmed that the first team player Andreas Christensen has a sprained left ankle,” said Barca in a statement.

“He is unavailable and his recovery will dictate his return.”

Gerard Pique and Eric Garcia are set to line up in the centre of defence against Celta Vigo on Sunday in LaLiga, with Xavi thin on alternatives beyond using players from the B team.

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Defenders Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde and Hector Bellerin are currently injured.

Kessie, who came off the bench against the Italians in the San Siro has a thigh strain, Barcelona confirmed in another statement.

With Dutch duo Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay currently out too, the situation is worsening for Barca at both ends of the pitch.

Inter visit Camp Nou on Wednesday 12 October, a crucial game for Barca’s hopes of qualifying for the next round of the Champions Leagues, before the Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barça picked up Christensen and Kessie on free transfers following their departures from Chelsea and AC Milan respectively at the end of last season.

But the club’s well-publicised ongoing financial difficulties mean that neither has yet been officially registered with La Liga. In what is becoming an alarming annual tradition, one that saw Lionel Messi forced to leave in 2021, Barça still need to create room within their strict salary cap.

La Liga’s rules ensures that teams are not allowed to spend beyond their means on player wages, essentially club revenue minus other operational costs and debt repayments. Barça’s spending power under those regulations has been repeatedly slashed over the last few years.

Unless Barça can cut costs or find additional revenue, they won’t have the ability to register the contracts agreed with Christensen or Kessie. And ESPN has now reported each player would have the power to walk away if they are left unregistered.

Deals for Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde also haven’t been registered with La Liga, but they do not have the same freedom to leave because they didn’t arrive as free agents. Barça have also not yet registered new contracts for Ousmane Dembele or Sergi Roberto.

President Joan Laporta is said to remain optimistic that all seven deals will be registered in time, but it is expected that Barça would still seek talks with the Christensen and Kessie camps to avoid such a drastic parting of ways if the first deadline is missed. Barça ultimately still have until the transfer window closes in three week to officially register all new signings.

Further players sales could assist, with Frenkie de Jong the subject of pursuits from Manchester United and Chelsea, uncertainty over Memphis Depay and fresh rumours about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang potentially being offloaded.

Even the €600m of revenue, offset by €150m spent, raised so far this summer by selling off sizeable stakes in future earnings from domestic television rights and in-house media, isn’t thought to be enough to get everything registered now.

At the end of last season, Barça’s permitted La Liga spending was -€144m, a bizarre figure that highlights the scale of the worsening annual saga.