Kvaratskhelia ruptures ACL as PSG count cost of 4-2 win over Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Tuesday's 4-2 Champions League win over Barcelona, a result that kept them top of the league phase but left them with three senior players in the treatment room.

The club said Kvaratskhelia will have surgery in the coming days. BBC Sport reported that PSG had not put a timeline on his return.

"Having suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during yesterday's match against FC Barcelona, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will undergo surgery in the coming days," the club said in its statement, as carried by ESPN.

The injury came in the 59th minute, after a collision with Barcelona's Xavi Espart. Kvaratskhelia had to be carried from the field by PSG medical staff, and The Straits Times reported that he was unable to put any weight on his leg as he was helped off just before the hour mark. Maghnes Akliouche came on in his place.

Dembélé and Marquinhos also sidelined

Kvaratskhelia was not the only casualty. Ousmane Dembélé was forced off after only 19 minutes with a thigh injury, replaced by former Barcelona forward Ferran Torres. Marquinhos followed him off with a similar problem.

ESPN reported that Dembélé's injury was to his left thigh and Marquinhos's to his right. PSG said both players would remain under treatment for the next few weeks, according to The Straits Times.

For Dembélé, 29, it is a painful continuation of a familiar story. ESPN reported that he endured an injury-ravaged six-year spell at Barcelona before joining PSG in 2023, and that Luis Enrique had already been limiting his appearances this season to avoid further fitness problems.

Fabián Ruiz made that point himself after the match. "It is because of moments like this that Luis Enrique rested some of our players, but unfortunately the thing we feared later happened," the midfielder told ESPN. "We lost Ousmane Dembélé just 19 minutes into the game, then both Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia got injured almost the [same] minute."

Ruiz also spoke of his alarm at seeing Kvaratskhelia go down. "[Kvara's] injury got me scared because the way he fell got me worried. He couldn't walk out of the pitch on his own. I just hope it's not something serious," he said, before the club confirmed the extent of the damage.

Enrique: 'That's football'

Luis Enrique was reluctant to speculate in the immediate aftermath. "I am not the doctor. I am the coach. The three injuries is the worst part of the game today. We will have to wait for the tests tomorrow," he said. "They are three very important players, so it's really bad news, of course, but that's football."