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Match
Marcador del partit
- Date: Tuesday, 26 Aug
- Competition: ???label.competicio1???
- Stadium: Henrik Reyman, Cracovia
Resultat:
- Wisla: 1
- FC Barcelona: 0
Match report
Match Report
Minimum defeat, maximum reward (1-0)
Roger Bogunyà
A Cléber goal in the 50th minute meant Barça went down in Krakow. But the result was of no major concern, with the four goals from the first leg meaning Barça’s fifth consecutive participation in the CL group stages was never really in doubt.
The Henryk Reyman witnessed Barça steadily improve as the night went on. It was an evenly matched
affair until the 50th minute, with Barça struggling to break down their opponent. The rhythm of the
game changed when Wisla went ahead thanks to a break from a corner, a wake-up call for the
visitors, who played impressively from then until the final whistle, but despite a number of great
chances, failed to make any of them count.
But the 1-0 is enough to secure Barcelona’s passage into the next round, the Champions
League group stage, and for the fifth year in a row. Being entered into Thursday’s draw was
the prime objective of the preseason for Guardiola’s side and the 4-1 aggregate scoreline is
testimony of job very well done.
Even first half
There was little to pick between the sides early on. Both sides sought to control the centre
of the park and made very few incursions upon their opposing goals. The first big moment
didn’t come until the 20th minute when a Lobodzinski lob failed to surprise Valdés. There
were very few further talking points in the half other than a Brozek strike on 35 minutes that did
little to trouble the Barça stopper either.
Polish goal
The second half got off to a similar start, with goalscoring chances conspicuous by their
absence. But then a 50th minute strike from Zienczuk was turned behind for a corner by Valdés,
which duly led to the only goal of the night, scored from a diving header by Cléber.
Barça get better
The goal brought Barça to life, and the football from that moment on was considerably more
dynamic. Gudjohnsen and Hleb came on for Xavi and Iniesta, and that opened things up a bit more in
attack, and it was Eto'o who came closest with a couple of chances that were saved by Pawelek.
No reward
Gerard Piqué was the star of the last half hour. The Catalan had three great chances inside
the area but the crossbar, the goalkeeper and the turf, which prevented him from shooting as he
would have liked, meant the score remained the same. Touré Yaya and Bojan, a late replacement for
Eto’o, also found themselves in excellent positions inside the rival six yard box, but it
just was not Barça’s day in front of goal.
It was the first defeat of the FC Barcelona era under Guardiola, but it was nothing to worry
about even in the slightest because the lead brought into the game from the first leg meant that
the all-important place in the group stage of the Champions League was never really in doubt.
Preview
One precedent
This will not be the first time that FC Barcelona plays a game in Krakow. In the only other precedent between Barça and Wisla, the 2001/02 season, in an eliminatory like this year’s, Barça won 3-4. In the return leg the Barcelona team overcame their rival by 1-0 in the Camp Nou.
Not just a formality
Roger Bogunyà
Barça will tonight play the return leg of the 3rd round of the Champions’ League against Wisla (8.45p.m., live on Barça T.V., TV3, the ‘Sexta’ and Radio Barça). Despite the favourable 4-0 in the first leg Barça do not want to be too confident.
Txiki Begiristain said it before catching the flight to Poland and it was repeated by Pep Guardiola
in the press conference prior to the match: the Wisla Krakow-Barça match tonight is not just a
formality. The team is taking the game very seriously and want to finish off the work started in
the Camp Nou two weeks ago when Barça won
4-0
.
With all the important players
The facts clearly show that the game is important. Guardiola has taken everyone
available, except for Messi, just back from China, and Víctor Sánchez, only given the all clear on
Sunday. The Barça manager will play a full first team without any experiments. We have to remember,
however, that this will be the last game before the beginning of the League, set for this Sunday at
7.00p.m. in Soria.
The team, more relaxed
The game comes at a good moment for FC Barcelona. It has been 10 days since their last game
– the
2-1
win against Boca Juniors – and the players have had time to prepare well for this
week’s two games.
Wisla, leader in Poland
As for the rival, it has to be said that Wisla Krakow is the
solitary leader in the Polish League with nine points, after three games played. Arka and Ruch
closely follow them, with seven points apiece. Their most dangerous rival Legia Warsaw is ninth
with four points.
