Barcelona’s Champions League season is on the brink of collapse after losing 2–0 to Atlético Madrid at home in the first leg of the quarterfinals.
A strong Barcelona start unravelled in an instant when Pau Cubarsí was sent-off for denying Giuliano Simeone a clear goalscoring opportunity. Julián Álvarez added insult to injury when he scored a wonderful free-kick from the resulting foul to give Atléti the lead just before the break.
Hansi Flick’s side tried to muster a reaction with 10-men, but it was Alexander Sørloth who once again tormented Barça, scoring the visitor’s second with their only shot on goal of the second half to give them a two-goal lead heading back home for the second leg.
Barcelona will feel the result doesn’t reflect what transpired on the pitch and will likely vent their frustrations at controversial refereeing decisions. But the fact of the matter is that they now require a minor miracle to avoid an elimination that would see their Champions League title-drought reach 12 years.
Here’s four takeaways from Barcelona’s loss, their first defeat at the renovated Camp Nou.
History Repeats Itself In Worst Possible Way For Pau Cubarsí
The teenager once again had a costly mistake on a big European night. | Alex Caparros/UEFA/Getty Images
For the second year in a row, Cubarsí was at the scene of a crime of a clumsy challenge that cost Barcelona dearly.
Cubarsí got beaten by Simeone’s speed and would’ve been through on Joan García if the teenager hadn’t clipped the back of his leg as he tried to close in on him. Initially Cubarsí thought he might’ve gotten away with it but a VAR review saw his luck run out, leaving Barça to play with 10-men for the final 50 minutes of the match.
It might not have been the most egregious of challenges, but given how vastly superior Barça had been at that point and especially the context—Simeone would’ve struggled to corral a ball he had overrun—it was unnecessary.
The mistake brought back memories of last season’s Champions League semifinals when the teenager brought down Lautaro Martínez in the penalty area, resulting in a spot-kick that helped Inter eventually end Barça’s European season.
This time around, Flick’s side still have 90 minutes to try and erase the teenager’s mistake, but it completely flipped the dynamic of the first leg, and Cubarsí won’t be able to help Barcelona’s heroic comeback attempt at the Metropolitano.
Barcelona’s Dream Striker Causes Them Nightmares
Julián Álvarez scored his fourth career goal vs. Barcelona. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images
Atlético Madrid looked completely unable to string together more than three passes for much of the first half unless the ball somehow found the way to Álvarez—the striker that Barcelona are widely reported to be very interested in making a move for this summer.
When the visitors were under immense pressure, it was the Argentine striker who dragged them out of deep waters and completely changed the game. A run from inside his own halfway line bypassed Barça’s press before he threaded a deadly pass over the hosts’ high defensive line only he could envision, resulting in Cubarsí’s red card.
His quality as a creator was on full display, with his prolific goalscoring ability up next: curling a spectacular free-kick into the top corner in the ensuing action to give the previously suffocated visitors a surprising lead going into the tunnel.
Under the bright lights of a big European night at the Camp Nou, Álvarez left no doubt as to why Barcelona are so keen on making him their striker of the future. He more than aced his audition, and unfortunately for Barça, it was potentially at the expense of their Champions League dreams—and his already hefty price-tag may have risen by a few couple of million.
Failure to Pounce Significantly Contributed to Barcelona’s Demise
Marcus Rashford squandered a golden opportunity early. | Alex Caparros/UEFA/Getty Images
Barcelona categorically dominated the game in the first half, asphyxiating Atléti with their trademarked high-pressing and generating chances from turnovers … chances they would soon regret not capitalizing on.
Marcus Rashford had a very positive performance overall, looking active, menacing and doing whatever he wanted with Nahuel Molina on the left wing. But it’s the final action where the Man Utd loanee could’ve done much better, failing to be decisive with his six shot attempts, especially a one-on-one against Juan Musso that he should’ve buried to give Barça the lead inside the opening 10 minutes.
But Barcelona getting blanked at the Camp Nou for the first time since the stadium’s reopening isn’t exclusively Rashford’s fault. The Catalans probed time and time again in the first half but lacked quality in their attempts.
Even at the start of the second half, Barça were shot out of a cannon and created chances in bunches, but clinical finishes lacked. Lamine Yamal was the best player on the pitch and nearly scored a couple of Lionel Mesi-esque individual goals, but it was that final touch that let him down and prevented the hosts from getting back in the game.
Despite playing more than half the game undermanned, Barcelona outshot Atlético 18 to five, beating them in xG as well 1.21 vs. 0.45. In the end, though, Musso made seven saves to keep a clean sheet and Atléti found the back of the net in two of their three shots on goal to get a considerable advantage back to Spain’s capital.
Metropolitano Miracle Needed
Barcelona must recover quickly from the painful defeat. | Javier Borrego/Europa Press/Getty Images
For the second time this season, Barcelona will have to come from behind to try and rescue a tie against the feisty Atléti. Only this time, if they want to obtain a different outcome, they’ll have to do it away at the Metropolitano in a tremendously hostile environment
Needing to come back from two-goals down, Flick’s men have the attacking firepower to conjure up two strikes, but they’ll likely need more given Barcelona have failed to keep a clean sheet in the Champions League in any of their last 14 games—the joint longest streak by a Spanish team in competition history. With Cubarsí suspended, Flick will have to deploy a makeshift backline, further complicating matters.
Resiliency and responding in the face of adversity has become one of the strengths of this young Blaugrana side since the start of the Flick era. They’ve earned a reputation as comeback kings in La Liga, consistently snatching victory from the jaws of defeat over the past two seasons.
Anything short of Barcelona’s best performance of the season won’t be enough to keep their European season alive at the Metropolitano … yet it’s also the perfect opportunity for redemption.
Twice Barcelona erased two-goal deficits across their semifinals tie against Inter last season, getting within seconds of reaching the final. It wasn’t meant to be for Flick’s men though, ultimately eliminated at the San Siro. Now, almost a year later, destiny has placed Barça in a very similar position to try and vanquish the demons of that painful night and continue their quest towards that elusive sixth European crown.
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