Barcelona and Manchester United tied this Thursday at two in a vibrant game that was not in the Champions League, but it seemed like it. The Camp Nou hosted a crazy duel, which went from less to more and that in the second part had the Catalans on the ledge and Manchester United against the ropes in a matter of minutes. The goals from Marcos Alonso and Raphinha balanced out those from Rashford and Koundé at their own goal and left the tie open for what might happen at Old Trafford, where Barça hopes to be happy again in Europe.
The game began with total confusion for Barcelona. Xavi’s plan was blown up in just a few seconds, the time it took the Manchester United players to position themselves on the immaculate grass of the Camp Nou. Ten Hag surprised everyone with Rashford in the false 9 position, Weghorst in the midfield and Bruno Fernandes as an interior, an approach that he took with the foot changed to a Barça that when he wanted to realize it already had three scares in the body with centers sides that flew over the area of Ter Stegen.
Barcelona
Ter Stegen, Koundé, Araujo, Marcos Alonso (Christensen, min. 67), Jordi Alba (Balde, min. 67), De Jong, Pedri (Sergi Roberto, min. 41), Kessié (Ansu Fati, min. 67), Raphinha (Ferran Torres, min. 83), Lewandowski and Gavi
2
–
2
Manchester United
De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Shaw, Malacia, Casemiro, Fred, Sancho (Garnacho, min. 82), Bruno Fernandes, Rashford and Weghorst.
Goals:
1-0: min. 50, Mark Alonso. 1-1: min. 53, Rashford. 1-2: min. 59, County (PP). 2-2: min. 76, Raphinha.Referee:
Maurizio Mariani (Italy). He admonished Jordi Alba, Varane, Casemiro, Ten Hag, Malacia and Gavi.Incidences:
First leg of the round of 32 of the Europa League played at the Camp Nou in front of 90,225 spectators.
That initial rush could not be read by a team that failed to recover throughout the first half, unable to take control of the match despite the 4-4-2 with which Xavi intended to win the midfield thanks to the presence of Kessié, Frenkie Of Jong, Pedri and Gavi.
That drawing did not work this time and Barça was at the mercy of United during several intervals in the first half. Xavi’s men felt suffocated by the pressure in their rival’s opposite field and lost several balls at the start from behind that would have been a greater disappointment if Ter Stegen had not intervened in two heads up against Weghorst and Rahsford and also against a Casemiro’s header from a set piece. The German goalkeeper saved the Catalans at their worst moment and supported a team that would still have to endure another setback before the break after Pedri had to make way for Sergi Roberto due to quadriceps muscle problems.
Pedro, injured
After the restart, Barça decided to participate in the vertigo proposed by United and the duel entered into an exchange of blows that could have gone to either side. Without Pedri, the culés dispensed with the positional game, trusting their attack to the internees of Jordi Alba on the left lane and Raphinha, very participative, on the right. The change in strategy served to unclog the game, but also to give wings to an opponent who had infinite resources to do damage. The first to strike, however, was Marcos Alonso with a header from a corner kick that his ill-fated father would have signed perfectly, to whom he dedicated his goal through tears.
That joy was fleeting. United had already found a way to hurt Barça and they were going to do it with two bites typical of a big team. The first bite was taken by Xavi’s men in a ball from Fred into space that Rashford finished at the near post to the surprise of a Ter Stegen who could have done more. There began the show of the 10 mancuniano, who barely six minutes later evaded Raphinha’s surveillance, won the bottom line, and put a poisoned cross that Jules Koundé ended up introducing into his own goal.
Barça was hurt and remembered old ghosts, but they had half an hour to show that the new project seems to be different. Xavi introduced Christensen, Balde and Ansu Fati, three changes that revitalized the team, brought out the culé pride and made it possible to draw in the final stretch after Raphinha, the best culé player in the clash although he ended up substituted and very angry, sent a cross that He did not find a header and surprised De Gea. It was the last goal of a crazy second half that will continue at Old Trafford, with everything to be decided.