FC Barcelona 2-1 FC Porto: Blaugranas come from behind to win against Portuguese giants; qualify for Round of 16 after a hiatus of two seasons
FC Barcelona are back to their best after they inspired a two-goal victory against Portuguese heavyweights FC Porto, as two of Portugal’s greatest players in the form of Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix had sealed the deal for defending champions of La Liga, after being 0-1 down as Estadi Olimpic. With this victory, Barca have qualified for the Round of 16 with one game remaining, a feat they achieved after a long hiatus of two years, their last qualification was when Lionel Messi was still at helm for them.
FC Barcelona to the Round of 16- here we go!
FC Barcelona and FC Porto had locked horns in one of the crunch matches of Matchday 5 at UEFA Champions League with a qualification to Round of 16 at stake. The defending Spanish champions were on route to take the next round in their last game against Shakhtar Donetsk, but they lost against the Ukraine side, thus delaying the qualification process. With several first-team players on the sidelines nursing their injuries, which included Gavi, who has tore his ACL and skipper Marc Andre Ter Stegen, it was not going to be a walk in the park for Xavi and his men, provided Porto has been very strong especially in UCL nights. Although it took half-an hour for Porto to break the deadlock as the Brazilian Pepe decided on barge in to Barca defense to give his side an unprecedented 1-0 lead in front of the home fans. But, once again, it took two more Portuguese to get on song as Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix inspired a comeback for the ages for the Catalans, eventually winning it for Barca.
A strong eleven for both sides
With a qualification and a vital three points on the air to seek for, tacticians from both sides decided to go for their strongest eleven, which could be capable of creating further inroads and when required, could make a strong guarding wall to thwart off attacks. The home side, Barca, who are going through lots of injuries which have pegged them back this season, had started with backup keeper Inaki Pena, who had a nervous outing in their last game against Rayo Vallecano, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate, with defensive duties vested upon the seasoned back four of Araujo, Martinez, Kounde and eventual hero of the night, Cancelo. Midfield, although missing the prodigal Gavi, was lined up with former Manchester City skipper Ilkay Gundogan, flanked by Pedri and Frenkie De Jong. The front three was shouldered by Lewandowski, who was marshalling the attack along with two of his trusted soldiers, Raphinha and Felix.
As for Porto, they went with their 4-4-2 formation, with Evanilson and Taremi on the fore front to take further attacks ahead. With a 1-0 win at Portugal owing to a Ferran Torres wonder strike, Barca would have definitely wanted to soar higher at their home fixture, which was possible by the unwavering home support, with fans and supporters looming in numbers in Estadi Olimpic.
Pepe- the Brazilian star
When it comes to the name of Pepe, Barcelona have always looked threatened , whether it is defender Pepe, who have been one of the old guards for Portugal and Porto over the years, or right winger Pepe, the Brazilian, who broke the deadlock last night on the half-hour mark. This time, it was Pepe Aquino, who made the first inroad towards Pena’s mindset, after opening the score. Galeno was instrumental in bringing the ball inside the box, who found the seasoned Taremi, whose effort fell back to Galeno. The Brazilian Galeno forced a smart save from Pena, but the rebound fell on Pepe Aquino’s feet, who smashed the rebound into the far corner, giving the visitors an unexpected lead, against the run of play.
Joao Cancelo-the superstar
Barcelona might have the jackpot this season when they went on to sign Joao Cancelo on loan during this summer. The former Manchester City and Bayern Munich right-back, who is equally capable of playing in the midfield as well as on the wings, has hit the zenith with hi exuberance and class. He has often scored many clutch goals, vying to be remembered as one of the fringe players for the La Liga champions. Last night, Cancelo proved once again why he is one of the most prized players for the Catalans this season.
Just after Porto took the lead, it was Cancelo’s brilliance which snatched the lead away from the visitors. It was another midfield metronome Pedri who hit the ball to Cancelo on the left flank, who still had much work to do on the side. He jinked past Mario who was guarding Cancelo, before curling in the ball past Costa, superbly placing it on the goal, as Barca tied the score line 1-1.
With the score tied at 1-1 in half-time, it was poised for an intense finish, as either of these two sides were slated to go to the next round tonight.
Joao Felix goal- result of another Joao Cancelo brilliance
Joao Cancelo was on song once again when he assisted the second goal of the night with his finesse. It was the work of another Joao this time, with Felix trying to get past Porto goal and break his goal drought. A cheeky one-two from his compatriot Cancelo was on the run, which helped Felix score the winner, after spurning a lot of chances within the first half, and also getting on the score sheet for the first time since September. He fired his shot to the far corner, thus Barcelona getting one step ahead to the next round, provided no further miracles take place.
A valuable 2-1 win at Estadi Olimpic sealed the deal for Barcelona, as they qualified for the Round of 16 with one game left. The battle for the second qualifier would be between Shakhtar and Porto, who have an intense face-off in the next game, with Barca travelling to minnows Royal Antwerp FC to seal the top spot. It is also the first time that Barca qualified into the next stage following Lionel Messi’s exit two seasons back.
