Great victory for Flick’s team, with the return of Frenkie de Jong and Cuenca’s debut
BARCELONA, 1 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona beat the Swiss Young Boys this Tuesday (5-0) on the second day of the League Phase of the Champions League, in an Olímpic de Montjüic that enjoyed its team’s first victory in this ‘Champions’, with the return of the colorful game and with the return to the team of a Frenkie de Jong who, five months later, returned to the field of play to complete the party.
It was the match that Barça needed to leave behind the opening defeat in Monaco (1-0), in that duel marked by the early expulsion of Eric Garcia, and also the defeat against Osasuna (4-2) on the last day of a League in which they were undefeated. Against Young Boys, inert except for a couple of isolated plays, Barça scored, liked each other and rotated. A ’10’ for Hansi Flick.
After the first warning from Lamine Yamal, with a shot from the edge of the area that was beginning to be a trademark and was well blocked by goalkeeper Keller, it didn’t take long for Barça to open the can. Robert Lewandowski did it, in the 8th minute, culminating with a pass to the net, unmarked inside the small area, a good collective play.
It was clear that Barça was going to have the ball, especially seeing the defensive 4-4-2 proposed by the Young Boys coach, Patrick Rahmen. It was quickly confirmed that Barça would look for the rival goal in a fronton, in a siege with the ball, while the Swiss would try to survive the counterattack.
But this early blow from Lewandowski, who was simply where he needed to be to complete the work of Rapinha, Lamine and Ferran Torres, was a big splash of cold water for the visitors; a Young Boys that suffers in Switzerland – penultimate in its league – and that already lost decisively against Aston Villa on the opening day. And in Barcelona his luck was not going to change.
Jules Koundé tried it, from afar, or Ferran Torres, going in from the left wing before testing the rival goalkeeper low. They were liking Barça, although the passing of the minutes without being able to widen the difference led the team to go, perhaps unintentionally, slowing down until they reached a summer calm, more typical of those naps in the sun than of an autumn night. already in the Catalan capital.
To wake up, a first arrival from Young Boys, with a lateral center that no one touched until the ball reached Ebrima Colley, who finished low and too crossed but causing some first ‘oh’ in the Blaugrana stands. And it worked, because shortly after, in the 34th minute, captain Raphinha managed to make the score 2-0 in a somewhat opportunistic play, finishing inside the area after a double rebound in the Swiss defense from Pedri’s shot.
Iñigo Martínez, very fine in this start of the season under the orders of Hansi Flick, joined the party shortly after with a cross header, flying high before finishing off a beautiful cross from Pedri from a lateral free kick. Barça was comfortable after that Swiss warning – how good it came! – and the goals returned to the ‘culer’ team.
Some that did not stop in the second half. Despite being 3-0 at half-time, Barça jumped onto the pitch after going through the locker room and this time it was a set piece that moved the score. Cross from Raphinha to the far post, header from Iñigo Martínez to the center of the area and there, Lewandowski put his head in – the ball bounced off his leg – and scored the second of the night for him, the fourth of an insatiable Barça.
DOUBLE OCCASION FOR THE YOUNG BOYS AND DEBUT OF FRENKIE DE JONG
Many parties need actions that shake them up to become active again. And in the 67th minute, when Barça was already winning 4-0 and Flick began to rotate and change players, Young Boys had a huge double chance to open their scoring. But Joel Monteiro’s shot hit the crossbar and Jaouen Hadjam’s subsequent shot was taken by Marc Casadó, very successful.
The change in the drawing that led to the entry of Héctor Fort and Ansu Fati for Pau Cubarsí and Pedri in the 63rd minute gave rise to this double action by the Swiss. But Barça recovered quickly, always thanks to having the ball at their feet, and the search for the ‘little hand’ soon began. Of course, with Ansu Fati playing inside, not on the wing or up front. Strange position, but the important thing was to give him quality minutes and what better way to do it than in the ‘Champions’, where he barely played 2 minutes in Monaco.
On April 21 of this year, Frenkie de Jong was injured and this Tuesday, October 1, five months later, the Dutchman returned to the playing field. He had more than a quarter of an hour to reconnect, to feel like a footballer again, but his popular judgment will be slow: he was applauded, yes, but there was some murmuring, too. In addition, he entered alongside Pau Víctor to replace the dejected Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal.
The first, because he wanted the hat-trick. The second, because he was enjoying it and couldn’t ‘get wet’. This Flick’s Barça, except for two surprises, is like that; pure ambition and constant struggle. And also the fortune that accompanies those who seek success, with an own goal from Young Boys to sign that ‘little hand’ after a great cross, but without a finisher, from Balde that Camara scored his own. To close the party, the debut of Andrés Cuenca, a 17-year-old central defender, and chants of ‘Iniesta, Iniesta’ before the imminent retirement of the man from La Mancha, one of the last idols in ‘Can Barça’.
TECHNICAL SHEET.
–RESULT: FC BARCELONA, 5 – YOUNG BOYS, 0 (3-0, at halftime).
–TEAMS.
FC BARCELONA: Iñaki Peña; Koundé, Cubarsí (Fort, min.63), Iñigo Martínez (Cuenca, min.84), Balde; Pedri (Ansu Fati, min.63), Casadó; Lamine Yamal (De Jong, min.75), Raphinha, Ferran Torres; and Lewandowski (Pau Víctor, min.75).
YOUNG BOYS: Keller; Bloom (Athekame, min.57), Camara, Zoukrou, Hadjam; Monteiro, Ugrinic (Niasse, min.58), Lauper, Colley (Virginius, min.72); Itten (Ganvoula, min.73) and Imeri (Lakomy, min.82).
–GOALS.
1-0. Min.8, Lewandowski.
2-0. Min.34, Raphinha.
3-0. Min.37, Iñigo Martínez.
4-0. Min.51, Lewandowski.
5-0. Min.81, Camara (pp).
–REFEREE: Erik Lambrechts (BEL). He cautioned Colley (min.36), Ugrinic (min.40) at Young Boys.
— STADIUM: Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium, 45,097 spectators.