With one game remaining, a solid team victory and performance, as well as guaranteed mathematical qualification
Barcelona won a big game against FC Porto, scoring two goals to Porto’s one at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium. This victory means Barcelona, led by Xavi Hernández, made it to the next round of the Champions League for the first time under his leadership. They only need one more point in the group stage to become the top team in their group. Even though Porto scored first in the game, Barcelona fought hard and ended up winning, earning three important points to move on to the next stage. They showed great mental strength and played really well as a team.
First Half-
Thanks in large part to the aggressive play of Raphinha and João Cancelo, who were tasked with providing service from the wings and constantly took on defenders and fired shots from distance looking to test goalkeeper Diogo Costa, Barça were the better team to start the game. They enjoyed 20 minutes of strong possession works and moments of danger.
Initially playing mostly defense, Porto gradually began to exert pressure on Barça and counterattack; Mehdi Taremi’s goal, which was disallowed for offside, served as the visitors’ warning shot before a devastating counterattack culminated in a shot by Galeno that Iñaki Peña saved and fell to Brazilian winger Pepê, who was first to the rebound.
Just 90 seconds after Porto’s opening goal, Cancelo scored a sensational solo goal after a very good, quick passing sequence from one side of the pitch to the other. This goal came just after Mário’s mistake, as Cancelo dribbled past him with ease and fired a gorgeous curler into the bottom corner to calm any tension among the Barça players and supporters.
The game was thrown wide open by the two quick goals, with both teams trading blows with each other akin to a crazy heavyweight boxing match. Barça missed huge chances through João Félix and Raphinha, and Peña had to make an incredible save to keep out an easy goal from Evanilson.
A thrilling first half was ended by the halftime whistle, and despite both teams having plenty of opportunities to score two or three goals, the score was only 1-1. It was impossible to pick a winner at halftime if the game stayed that close. The second half looked to be explosive.
Second Half-
João Félix nearly gave Barça a chance to win Goal of the Season 15 seconds after the break, but he missed another excellent opportunity a few minutes later. Barça had a strong start to the half and forced Porto to play deeper than they wanted to.
The right side of Porto’s defense was being tormented by Félix and Cancelo, who together gave the Blaugrana the lead just after the hour mark. The two Portuguese teammates exchanged a few one-twos before Félix used his right foot inside the box to flick the ball past Costa and into the bottom corner for a stunning goal to cap off the home team’s comeback.
Barça’s nerves were calmed by an early goal in the second half. The Blaugrana were suddenly very at ease with the ball and looked to score a third without taking any unnecessary risks. The Catalans entered the final 15 minutes in a strong position to complete the task and win the match. Porto had very little success on the counter, and Ronald Araujo was vital in stopping a few potentially dangerous attacks from the visitors.
With ten minutes remaining, they had a great chance to end the match, but Ferran Torres missed a relatively simple chance from the edge of the box. As a result, Porto started to push forward more players in an attempt to gain a late equalizer.
Although there were a few close calls, Barça did a fantastic job of controlling the ball and using the remaining time.
The final siren signaled the official confirmation of Barça’s Round of 16 berth for a team that overcame hardships and produced their best performance in more than a month against a formidable Porto team that made them work for it. But the Catalans got the win they needed to avoid drama in the group stage finale when the Blaugrana stepped up and the forward players finally performed to their standard.
Now that Barça knows they only need a point against Royal Antwerp to win the group, they get to travel to the worst team in the group. For many reasons, this is a very encouraging night, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been pleased to watch Barça compete in a major game. They never forgot to have fun, even when they had to fight. This team can defeat anyone if they bring both their fighting spirit and their football skills to every game.
Barcelona: Peña; Araujo, Kounde, Iñigo, Cancelo (Balde 82’); Pedri, Gündogan, De Jong; Raphinha (Yamal 90’), Lewandowski, Félix (Ferran 75’)
Goals: Cancelo (32’), Félix (57’)
Porto: Costa; Mário (Sánchez 67’), Pepe, Cardoso (Namaso 90’), Zaidu; Pepê, Varela, Eustáquio (Nico 81’), Galeno (Martínez 90’); Evanilson (Conceição 81’), Taremi
Goal: Pepê (30’)
