Barça has returned to the place that corresponds to it and from which it was absent last year. To the draw for the quarterfinals. Even if it’s from the Europe Leaguein one of the objectives reformulated during the campaign, which little by little is being corrected in the game and on the scoreboard through matches like last night, with a magnificent choral performance by the azulgranas, authoritative, certifying that this reappearance in Nyon , with all those who have to be, is definitive.
With its head held high, Barça will present itself to Sunday’s classic. Without being mocked and mocked, as would have happened with the elimination in Istanbul. More tired than Madrid, yes, but happy and with confidence intact, although he did not sign one of his most brilliant exercises. It was the resolution that is expected, at least, from a great who is forced to win away what he did not know how to obtain at home. What they did, without going any further, Atlético and Villarreal in scenarios of greater complexity and substance.
Pedri repaired with his genius Ferran’s marking error in the 1-0 corner
superiors
Barça ended up strolling, in a second half in which, finally, he captured the theoretical and real superiority over Galatasaray. With the second goal, the Turkish eleven realized the truth and lowered their arms, their legs tired from chasing the ball that Barça knew how to masterfully manage until it was hidden, unleashing the impotence of the fans when they saw the duel finished before hour. Bottles were thrown onto the field and after an attempted suspension, the referee reinstated the game. The public ended up applauding their own and the Catalans. Full surrender.
The azulgranas dominated at will after the break in a display of possession.
IF one of the problems of the first leg was that Araujo built the game, the locker room solution was to remove him to replace him Eric and could give intentional passes from behind. In his first intervention he already drove the ball until it entered the local field. And in the second. Eric dared. More than Araujo and a lot for a conventional defender but not enough to divide and be jumped by a rival. Although he reached the outskirts of the Turkish area as he got excited and ended up seeing a card in that area in a clash with another center-back, Marcao, who got in his way.
But there was a way out there, and that offered Barça a way of invasion without achieving a numerical superiority that would allow them to progress further. That performance seemed to please both teams: the Galatasaray endured and waited without being overwhelmed and Barça occupied the foreign field.
The first was from Marcao
The balance could only be broken in two ways. In the way the goals were scored: in the strategy (which always leads to a defensive error) and with genius. Marcao threw everything at a ball –with his head, when reason demanded a shot with his foot- while Ferran trusted that he would hit his right leg. In less than ten minutes, the magician Pedri appeared to demolish Marcao and Kutlu with two hip strikes to restore the agreement.
Barça had more urgencies than their rival, and Xavi more pressure than Torrent, so Dembélé entered the field to create that anxiety that did not occur. The effect was immediate, but not because of the entry of the French winger. The goal put the classification on track, which would have fallen under its own weight.
Barça played calmer without Galatasaray taking the step forward that the fans asked for, without taking more risks in defense or tightening the markings to force errors among the azulgranas. With the magician Pedrias teaming up with Busquets, finding Eric and helped by Eric, that doesn’t happen anymore. The only thing pending arrangement is the auction.
match sheet
Galatasaray: Iñaki Peña (8), Obey (7), Nelsson (6), Marcao (7), Van Aanholt (6); Antalyali (6), Kutlu (5); Babel (4), Cicaldau (4), Akturkoglu (7); Gummies (4).
Technical: Domènec Torrent (5).
Changes: Mohamed (4) by Gomis (d. 67); Halil (sc) by Babel (d. 74); Morutan (sc) by Cicaldau (d. 74); Bayram (sc) by Van Aanholt (d. 85).
Barcelona: Ter Stegen (5); Dest (6), Pique (6), Eric (8), Alba (6); F. de Jong (6), Busquets (7); Pedro (9); Adama (4), Aubameyang (7), Ferran (5).
Technical: Xavi Hernandez (7).
Changes: Dembélé (5) by Adama (m. 46); Araujo (6) by Dest (m. 55); Gavi (7) by F. de Jong (d. 68); Lenglet (sc) by Piqué (d. 81); Memphis (sc) by Aubameyang (d. 81).
goals: : 1-0 (m. 28), Marcao with a header ahead of Ferran; 1-1 (m. 37), Pedri dribbles past Marcao and Kutlu and shoots low; 1-2 (m. 49), Aubameyang happily finishes off a pass from F. de Jong.
Referee: Daniele Orsato (4), Italian.
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cards: Busquets (m. 27), Marcao (m. 29), Eric (m. 41), Van Aanholt (m. 70), Gavi (m. 79), Alba (m. 87), Bayram (m. 92).
Stadium: Nef Stadium.