Before Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Bayern, Hansi Flick’s Barca had done a lot to impress the footballing world.
They had brought exciting, fluid football to Barcelona and they had created an identity for the entire squad. But all of that would be put to the test, as Bayern came to the sunny Catalan capital attempting to thwart Barca’s progress.
Let’s see how Barca fared in their first real test of the season.
First half
If you wanted action, then this first half was for you.
We saw 4 combined goals in the first half, with 3 coming from Barca themselves.
The first goal was an early one, with Raphinha scoring inside 2 minutes. The Brazilian made a brilliant run — combined with Fermin Lopez’s brilliant pass — that led to a delicious 1v1 opportunity against Manuel Neuer.
Raphinha closed down on the legendary keeper, rounded him, and fired into the open net to make it 1-0.
It was the best possible start for Barca, who needed a quick one in order to pile the pressure on the German giants. Although that pressure didn’t last long, as Bayern grew more into the game, dominating possession and eventually equalizing to bring the tally to 1-1.
However, that was the end of any positivity for Bayern in the first half, because after they equalized, it was all Barca from then until the end of the first half.
Barca scored a second goal later towards the end of the first half, this time via a Robert Lewandowski tap in.
The goal looked very questionable after Fermin Lopez pushed Kim Min Jae in the back, therefore not allowing the Bayern centerback to nod away a pass from Lamine Yamal. However VAR let the goal stand, which meant a 2-1 lead for Barca just before halftime.
Barca added a third right before halftime as well, with Raphinha being the center of it all once again.
The Brazilian received a beautiful pass from Marc Casado, then began to drive towards Bayern’s back line. He then cut inside onto his left foot, before shockingly firing a gorgeous curling shot into the back of the net…with his right foot!
I’ll be honest, I just didn’t think Raphinha had a right foot like this. He has always primarily been a left footed player, so to see this was nothing short of a surprise. We’ll gladly take it though, as the goal gave Barca a 3-1 lead right before halftime, giving this team and this crowd something to go crazy over heading into the second half.
Halftime arrived and the big story was Barca seemingly killing Bayern in key areas. But maximum focus was still needed, as Bayern still had plenty of talent to turn this game on its head.
So let’s see how Barca fared in the second half.
Second half
The second half saw only one goal, but it was a necessary goal, as it stood as Barca’s final one and one that sealed their biggest win of the season so far.
Lamine Yamal started the action, as he lofted a perfect ball for the streaking Raphinha. Raphinha then shooed away a few Bayern defenders, before unleashing a very well placed shot towards the bottom right corner and past Neuer.
4-1 Barca, some just couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.
Barca was destroying Bayern.
This felt like a fever dream, considering this club has been tormented by Bayern for years upon years at this point. To finally see Bayern on the other end of the spanking was glorious and is hopefully a great sign of things to come this season.
After this goal, Barca focused more so on control to safely deliver this match to its final destination. Doing so secured a big time win, this ahead of another monstrous fixture this weekend against Real Madrid.
Final word
What. A. Match.
I wasn’t as nervous as I’ve been previously for big matches, but I still wanted a nice win to elevate this club back into the stratosphere where it belongs.
And that we got, which I’m still riding the high of. We can’t get too excited though as as a trip to the Bernabeu to take on Real Madrid lurks. If Barca can get a positive result there, feelings surrounding the club will the most positive in years.
Barca’s next match
Barca’s next match will be on Saturday, as El Clasico has arrived.
Enough said.
See you all then!
I’ve been a big time Barca fan since I was 14 years old. I love the club, the history, and the tradition that the club has built over its prestigious history. Forca Barca!
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