2023-09-19 22:03:00
Barça has found its magic once more. Xavi’s men made short work of the Belgian champions, who were discovering the C1 for the first time.
Deprived of balls and cowering in defense, the Antwerp players tried to resist the Catalan combinations, before cracking in the 11th minute.
Already a scorer for his first start with his new club during the card once morest Betis Sevilla (5-0), João Félix struck once more, concluding a nice triangle play in the area with a cross shot from the right to open the score .
This meeting once morest the Sevillians also seems to have served as a trigger for Xavi’s players, just like the Portuguese striker, who failed at Atlético and who now serves as an attacking partner for the Pole Robert Lewandowski. The new Barcelona duo brings the madness that was missing to the Catalans’ sometimes too static possession game at the start of the season.
“I think these last two matches are the best we have had since I have been coach,” Xavi said following the match on Movistar+. “This is the way to go.”
Served in depth by De Jong, Félix showed his technical quality to establish his vis-a-vis and adjust a perfect cross to the far post volleyed by Lewandowski at the end (19th), author of his 100th goal in competition European.
João Félix encore decisif
The match then turned into a demonstration, when a Belgian defender diverted a harmless cross from Raphinha into his own goal with the help of the post (22nd).
The Catalans might have stopped there and just managed, but they wanted to make this first Champions League match in their temporary Montjuïc venue a celebration.
The 40,000 spectators, less than half of the usual crowd at the Camp Nou, currently under construction, saw their team take more risks and regain offensive momentum.
Returning from the locker room, Gavi recovered a ball in the area following a blocked attempt from Lewandowski and did not ask any questions, scoring the fourth goal with a powerful strike from the left (54th).
A few minutes later, while Barça continued to develop their game, João Félix, once more, signed a double header on a curling cross from Raphinha (66th).
“We all played very well. I’m happy with this victory and I’m having fun” explained the Portuguese on loan from Atlético Madrid on Movistar+. “I am here to help and we are all looking to bring joy to the club and its supporters,” he added.
The Belgians failed to break Ter Stegen to save the honor, the German making a spectacular double save in front of Muja, but he was in all cases offside at the start of the action.
Entering the game on the hour mark, 16-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal became the second youngest player in the history of the competition behind Moukoko (Borussia Dortmund).
Robert Lewandowski, scorer for the fourth consecutive match, had the opportunity to score a sixth goal but came up once morest French goalkeeper Jean Butez, whose ordeal ended with a score of 5-0.
Thanks to this first success by improving its goal difference, Barça takes the lead in Group H ahead of Porto, also winner on the lawn of Shakhtar Donetsk.
The great Barça who dominated Europe for the last decade may not be back yet. But the average Barça of recent months seems very far away.
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