Gerard Pique left embarrassed by Kylian Mbappe after pulling Frenchman's shirt to stop him

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) succeeded in avenging their 6-1 Camp Nou humiliation when they hammered Barcelona on Tuesday. The Neymar-less PSG side went on to produce a dominant display against the Blaugrana with Kylian Mbappe arriving in top clutch form. The Frenchman was unstoppable in the game as he struck a hat-trick. Barcelona defenders appeared hapless against him, with Gerard Pique particularly struggling to contain his dominant force up front. 

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Barcelona vs PSG: Mbappe equalises after Messi's opener 

Mbappe delivered at the biggest stage when it mattered the most. Mauricio Pochettino was without the likes of Neymar and Angel di Maria. It was thus natural for Mbappe to lead the lines for the defending Ligue 1 champions. He did show up as he went on to bag the equaliser in the 32nd minute after Lionel Messi opened the scoring from the spot. 

Frenkie de Jong won a penalty when he stumbled inside the box despite no visible contract with Layvin Kurzawa. And Messi struck the opener from the spot. But Mbappe was quick to put his side on an equal footing.

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Barcelona vs PSG: Mbappe hat-trick sinks Blaugrana 

The Frenchman further went on to bag the lead for Pochettino in the second half. Leandro Paredes struck a shot from a tight angle only for Mbappe to receive it. The France international struck past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Moise Kean headed home the third goal for the Parisians, while Mbappe completed his hat-trick as he fired home a stunning shot from a distance to seal the win. 

And thus, it was visible that the Barcelona defenders found it extremely difficult to contain Mbappe. Pique, in particular, struggled at the back. The former Spanish defender was playing his first game since his ligament injury in November last year and he would want to forget his performance. 

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Gerard Pique and Mbappe up for the first time; Barcelona defender struggles 

Pique found no way to stop the 22-year-old PSG forward, who was facing Barcelona for the first time in his professional career. The only way he could figure out was to tug Mbappe's shirt while defending against him. And Pique's unimpressive act has sparked off a meme fest on Twitter with fans mocking the defender. Meanwhile, the second leg is said to be played out at the Parc des Princes on March 10. 

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Image courtesy: UCL broadcast