Barcelona beat Sporting Lison (2-0) in their last game of the group stages of the Champions League. Already qualified for the next round as group winners before the ball started rolling, Barca supporters were hoping for youngsters such as Carles Aleña or Jose Arnaiz to be given first-team playing time. Unfortunately, Ernesto Valverde had other ideas and decided to play some of his non-regulars instead.
Clearly, the manager’s decision to leave Lionel Messi out of his starting lineup for a second consecutive European game made the hosts far easier to contain. While the Blaugranas controlled the game from the initial whistle, they just couldn’t break the visitors’ defense until the second half – especially following the No.10’s inclusion. Once the Portuguese conceded the first goal, it was clear the three points were not going to leave the Camp Nou.
Reaction:
Valverde: “Our idea is take the initiative in every game we play, that’s our club philosophy. Also, not conceding. Today, we achieved both. Messi? Everyone knows he drives our attack forward thanks to his ability to finish and creating passes nobody else sees. Our next rival? We don’t know what may happen in the draw, but we will accept any rival.”
Match Stats:
Player Ratings:
Cillessen – 7
We talked about Gerard Deulofeu’s struggle to make an impact, the need to support referees in La Liga and more unmissable Barca stories here:
You can subscribe to ‘The Barcelona Podcast’ on iTunes, Libsyn, Stitcher or via your preferred podcast app.
The Barcelona Podcast is brought to you by Francesc Tomas (as seen in ESPN, The Guardian) and Dan Hilton (Barcablog). Listen in for the hottest breaking stories from the Camp Nou!
