In what could possibly be the most entertaining fixture since the World Cup Finale, Barcelona and Manchester United locked horns in a scintillating tie in the first leg of UEL
Round of 32.During the 90 minute roller coaster of a ride, the Catalans and the Red Devils alternated in spontaneous bursts of attacking play that kept the Camp Nou on the edge of their seats.
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| A battle of supremacy |
Xavi Hernandez's decision to rest Andres Christensen and start
Marcos Alonso at Centre Back while deploying
Jordi Alba instead of Alejandro Balde up the left flank sure did raise quite a few eyebrows. However, it was indeed Alonso who broke the deadlock and scored for the Catalans just 5 minutes into the second half.
But Alas, the lead only lasted a couple of minutes until Marcus Rashford squeezed in their first into the near post past Ter Stegen. In less then six, Barcelona had conceded yet again from a rather unfortunate Kounde own goal - coming from another properly timed Rashford cross.
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| Barcelona's Ronald Araujo in action |
It wasn’t until the
76th minute when
Raphinha's beautiful cross hit the back of the net after a fantastic dummy from Lewandowski, that Barcelona levelled the scoreboard at home.
In spite of further chances created from both sides, the nail-biting thriller ended in a stalemate and the fate of the fixture yet to be decided at Old Trafford.
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| Pedri Gonzalez is set to miss about a month's gameplay |
On a gloomier note,
Pedri Gonzalez is set to be out for at least a month after suffering an injury in the 39th minute of the game. With Busquets, Pedri and Dembele supposedly out due to injuries, Pablo Gavira's absence in the second leg courtesy of cards accumulated in Europe, is bound to hit hard for the Catalans.
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| The Flying Dutchman |
Will Barcelona be able to retain their sizzling display in La Liga while securing Round of 16 tickets from Old Trafford? We sure will find out.
Till then, Viva Barca.
Editor's Desk | A.Ash ✎
