Barça have qualified for the second round of the Champions League thanks to a draw this evening with Basel, and Sporting Lisbon beating Shakhtar. But an injury to Iniesta and a late goal from the Swiss outfit left a bittersweet taste in the mouth.
Barça’s streak of eleven consecutive wins was cut short by a draw at home Swiss side Basel. Nevertheless, it was a positive result that means the first major objective of the season has been achieved, qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Barça now hav
e ten points and are guaranteed one of the top two places after Sporting Lisbon beat Shakhtar (1-0), a result that leaves the Ukrainians seven points adrift of Barcelona with six points left in play. It was not the most thrilling of encounters. Barça were by far the better side in almost all aspects of the game, but failed to break the deadlock until Messi came on, and scored with his first intervention. The goal was followed by further Barça dominance, but rather than being rewarded, they were punished by a late goal in one of the very few occasions when Basel troubled the Barça area. Dominance without goals The game got off to a very different start to other Barça games of late, with the home side playing with a much-changed starting eleven (no fewer than six changes with respect to the game in Malaga) and knowing that their job in Europe was already largely done, lacked urgency and found it difficult to create major danger for Basel keeper Constanzo. However, Henry in the 4th minute and Iniesta in the 20th did come frustratingly close to opening the scoring. Dead ball danger Basel, defending far mor
e tightly than in Switzerland, did make a few timid attempts to forge counter attacks, but only crossed into the Barça half four times in the whole match. Little was coming from open play, but Guardiola’s side was able to create considerable danger from dead ball situations. First Henry, with a header from a Sylvinho free kick in the 35th minute, and then Piqué, from a corner in the 42nd came close, but there was still no score when the half time whistle blew. Messi and Xavi revolutionise the game After the restart, FC Barcelona stayed in almost complete control. Bojan failed to finish off a 50th minute one on one, which typified the way Barça were struggling to impose their game in the final third of the pitch. Something had to change, and Guardiola found the solution by sending on Xavi and Messi in the 59th minute. The creativity of that duo turned the game around, and in just two minutes the Argentinian made it 1-0 with a low drive that almost skimmed the right post of the Basel goal to find the back of the net. Eto'o came on in the 66th minute, replacing Iniesta, who asked for the change after complaining of a muscle injury that could see him sidelined for the next six weeks. Basel pull level It looked like it was all over, but with just eight minutes on the clock, Derdiyok latched onto the end of a Carlitos cross from the right to beat Valdés with a powerful strike from inside the Barça penalty area. Moments later, Piqué came close to heading home to make it 2-0, but his effort struck the post. Basel held on for a draw despite the barrage of Barcelona pressure, although a last second free kick from Xavi could have sneaked a late winner for the home side. It wasn’t to be, but the most important thing is that Barça are mathematically guaranteed a place in the last sixteen and can now concentrate on their league form over the coming months.
Barça’s streak of eleven consecutive wins was cut short by a draw at home Swiss side Basel. Nevertheless, it was a positive result that means the first major objective of the season has been achieved, qualification for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Barça now hav
e ten points and are guaranteed one of the top two places after Sporting Lisbon beat Shakhtar (1-0), a result that leaves the Ukrainians seven points adrift of Barcelona with six points left in play. It was not the most thrilling of encounters. Barça were by far the better side in almost all aspects of the game, but failed to break the deadlock until Messi came on, and scored with his first intervention. The goal was followed by further Barça dominance, but rather than being rewarded, they were punished by a late goal in one of the very few occasions when Basel troubled the Barça area. Dominance without goals The game got off to a very different start to other Barça games of late, with the home side playing with a much-changed starting eleven (no fewer than six changes with respect to the game in Malaga) and knowing that their job in Europe was already largely done, lacked urgency and found it difficult to create major danger for Basel keeper Constanzo. However, Henry in the 4th minute and Iniesta in the 20th did come frustratingly close to opening the scoring. Dead ball danger Basel, defending far mor
e tightly than in Switzerland, did make a few timid attempts to forge counter attacks, but only crossed into the Barça half four times in the whole match. Little was coming from open play, but Guardiola’s side was able to create considerable danger from dead ball situations. First Henry, with a header from a Sylvinho free kick in the 35th minute, and then Piqué, from a corner in the 42nd came close, but there was still no score when the half time whistle blew. Messi and Xavi revolutionise the game After the restart, FC Barcelona stayed in almost complete control. Bojan failed to finish off a 50th minute one on one, which typified the way Barça were struggling to impose their game in the final third of the pitch. Something had to change, and Guardiola found the solution by sending on Xavi and Messi in the 59th minute. The creativity of that duo turned the game around, and in just two minutes the Argentinian made it 1-0 with a low drive that almost skimmed the right post of the Basel goal to find the back of the net. Eto'o came on in the 66th minute, replacing Iniesta, who asked for the change after complaining of a muscle injury that could see him sidelined for the next six weeks. Basel pull level It looked like it was all over, but with just eight minutes on the clock, Derdiyok latched onto the end of a Carlitos cross from the right to beat Valdés with a powerful strike from inside the Barça penalty area. Moments later, Piqué came close to heading home to make it 2-0, but his effort struck the post. Basel held on for a draw despite the barrage of Barcelona pressure, although a last second free kick from Xavi could have sneaked a late winner for the home side. It wasn’t to be, but the most important thing is that Barça are mathematically guaranteed a place in the last sixteen and can now concentrate on their league form over the coming months.
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