Barcelona lost 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain, their first defeat of the season, but Hansi Flick's side left the Parc des Princes with plenty to encourage them ahead of next Sunday's eagerly awaited Clasico against Real Madrid.
The French side had the better of the match throughout. Yet Barcelona, shorn of several key players, stayed competitive right until the final minutes and even had the chance to go ahead after Xavi Espart grabbed the first equaliser. Lamine Yamal then dragged his team back into it with a superb goal to make it 2-2 in the 79th minute.
Flick's men know they must sort out their defensive problems, not least the number of goals they ship in the Champions League. Even so, the Catalans found reasons for optimism: a brilliant goalkeeper, a new talent breaking through, and the ability to create chances against one of the strongest teams in the world, according to the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", which is close to the club.
Joan Garcia gives Barcelona security
Joan Garcia stands out as one of the biggest strengths Barcelona can lean on in their bid to tidy up their defensive record. The goalkeeper produced a striking display against Paris Saint-Germain and dealt with several dangerous chances that kept his team alive.
Garcia excelled against Ferran Torres in the 24th and 29th minutes, and also denied Fabian Ruiz in the 29th minute and Achraf Hakimi in the 51st.
He might perhaps have done more with Desire Doue's powerful strike that produced the first goal. He was not responsible for the remaining four, though, which came via a Doue strike, a Lucas header, a Vitinha shot from outside the box, then a Fabian Ruiz follow-up from close range in front of goal.
Xavi Espart turns into a new reality
Xavi Espart, 19 years old, stole the spotlight. He proved he can compete at the highest level in a difficult encounter against Paris Saint-Germain and against a dangerous winger of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's calibre.
The young full-back showed great calm and confidence, keeping a lid on the Georgian star time and again after the latter almost scored with a shot that struck the post early on. Espart also produced good defensive interventions against Hakimi and Doue.
His impact was not limited to defence. He scored a superb goal to bring Barcelona level at 1-1, and also carved out a dangerous chance for Raphinha after bursting forward impressively and leaving the Brazilian forward one-on-one with goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, only for Raphinha to waste it.
Barcelona come out on top in possession and passing
Despite losing on Paris Saint-Germain's turf, Barcelona finished with the greater share of possession, holding the ball 52.8% of the time against 47.2% for the French side.
Flick's players also completed 537 passes to the hosts' 481, a sign of the Catalans' ability to impose their style during spells of the match.
After the French dominated the first half, Barcelona started the second far brighter and kept that superiority going for much of it until Lucas's goal made it 3-2 in the 79th minute.
During that period, Espart scored his goal, Gavi and Raphinha wasted two clear chances, and Lamine Yamal struck a superb goal to restore parity for Barcelona.
Yamal leaves his mark despite the errors
Lamine Yamal did not produce his best, but once again he proved he can make the difference against major opponents, scoring a superb goal at the Parc des Princes.
He had made a passing error that preceded Paris's first goal. It did not rattle him, though, and he kept going until he bagged the 2-2 equaliser in the 79th minute.
Barcelona did not enjoy the equaliser for long. Paris regained the lead just three minutes later, before settling the encounter with a 4-2 scoreline.
The chances were there, but the attacking efficiency was missing
Barcelona were far from incapable of threatening the Paris Saint-Germain goal, even if goalkeeper Joan Garcia came under far greater pressure than his counterpart Safonov.
The Catalans had 18 shots to the French side's 22, but the difference showed in accuracy. Fifteen of Paris's shots hit the target, compared to only five for Barcelona.
Fermin Lopez wasted a clear chance in front of Safonov in the 40th minute, and Gavi also failed to take another in the 61st. Safonov had earlier saved a Raphinha shot from inside the penalty area in the 21st minute.
Raphinha could have scored on two other occasions. He did not even shoot in one of them despite having a decent opening in the 18th minute, then dragged a shot wide in the 57th. He also failed to reach a low cross from Fermin in the 44th minute, while Dani Olmo came close with a powerful low shot in the 14th.
Those chances reveal that Barcelona could reach their opponent's goal, but lacked the accuracy to turn their attempts into goals, in contrast to the sharper efficiency shown by Paris.
Flick gives his key players a chance to rest
Hansi Flick made pointed calls over how to share out the minutes, with the Clasico against Real Madrid looming.
Rodri began on the bench before coming on in the 60th minute, as Pedri and Raphinha were withdrawn to rest them.
Gabriel Jesus did not play a single minute, staying fresh for the Clasico should the team need him. Fermin Lopez started as a substitute and only came on after Dani Olmo's injury, so he too did not play the full match.
Frenkie de Jong was likewise spared any great strain, although whether that was linked to preparing him for Real Madrid was not clear.