After suffering a loss to Manchester United by the score of 2-1 at Old Trafford, Barcelona was knocked out of the European competition. This occurred despite the fact that Barcelona was leading La Liga by eight points. In the end, the Catalan club was defeated by a score of 4-3 across the board.
The away team took the lead thanks to a penalty kick from Robert Lewandowski early on, but the English Premier League club came back and won thanks to goals from Brazil’s Fred and Antony in the second half. After winning its previous 18 games in a row, Barcelona suffered its first defeat in a European competition since the 1998–1999 season. This result marked the end of Barcelona’s 18-game winning streak.
Barcelona advanced to the quarterfinals of the Europa League after finishing in third place in its Champions League group. However, the team’s run was cut short by Eintracht Frankfurt in that round. Due to the fact that they are already struggling financially as a result of the Covid pandemic, Barcelona will suffer financially as a result of the early exit. In addition to this, the club is currently under fire for its involvement in a referee payment scandal that has engulfed football in Spain.
Match Report: As it happened
After Antony came on in replacement of Wout Weghorst, Substitute United began their comeback, which was capped off by Antony’s clinical strike in the 73rd minute. Substitute United won the match 2-1. Bruno Fernandes then found Fred, who buried a shot past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen just as the home team was charging out of the locker room after Marcus Rashford had regained possession of the ball.
The Brazil midfielder evened the score less than two minutes after play was resumed, and it appeared as though Barcelona needed some time to regain their composure as United launched wave after wave of attack in search of an immediate second goal.
David de Gea was able to prevent the Liga leaders from retaking the lead by diverting Jules Kounde’s header over the crossbar despite their best efforts to do so. Ter Stegen, on the other hand, was unable to prevent Antony’s skilled first-time shot from finding its way into the top right corner of his net.
While Barcelona’s run in Europe has come to an end, Manchester United will find out who they will face in the round of 16 on Friday. On March 9 and 16, the game will be played over the course of two halves.
After a tight opening to the game, the referee decided to give Barcelona a penalty kick in the 18th minute. This was a disappointing outcome for United. Robert Lewandowski coolly converted the penalty kick that resulted after Bruno Fernandes was penalised for committing a foul on Alejandro Balde, who was playing defence for the team.
Fred, who also hails from Brazil, cut United’s deficit to just one goal with a goal just two minutes into the second half, with assistance from his countryman Fernandes. United came out in the second half looking like a completely different team than they did in the first half.
David de Gea of United made a spectacular save to prevent a goal from being scored by Jules Kounde of Barcelona. Antony scored a goal for United with 17 minutes remaining on the clock, putting a magnificent finish into the bottom corner of the goal after the goalkeeper made an important save.
This allowed United to progress. Because of this victory, United will continue to compete for each of the four trophies that are up for grabs this season, giving them a chance to triumph for the first time since 2017.
What’s next for Xavi’s Barcelona?
FC Barcelona will next face Almeria in La Liga on Sunday, February 26 at Power Horse Stadium – Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos in Almería, Spain.
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