It was half-expected, and Barça did struggle against Cornella. The conditions made it tough for us, yet is that an excuse for a top tier side? Not exactly.
From the very beginning, we struggled to break their defence down. Their compact block prevented us from properly attacking through the middle, and we barely created any chances from open play. And even when we managed to create an opportunity, we either wasted it or it was saved by the Cornella goalkeeper aka prime Petr Čech vs Barça. After millions of opportunities missed including two penalties, we went to extra time for the 3rd game in a row. We quickly got things sorted when Dembélé opened the scoring in the 92nd minute, and Cornella never bounced back.
Very disappointed not to see Àlex Collado get a single minute. That suggests that Ronald Koeman doesn’t count on him for some reason. Collado destroyed the same Cornella side in Segunda B a few weeks ago, so when will he play if he didn’t this time? On a positive note, Ilaix Moriba debuted and didn’t disappoint. He’s such an asset when pressing. Ronald Araújo impressed as he does nearly every time, and so did Pedri, whose cameo completely put the game to bed.
Not the prettiest way to do it, but we’re through to the next round, that’s all that matters. Great to see some starters get rested and a few youngsters getting some game time.
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