Barça and Brugge drew 3–3 in a simply extraordinary Champions League encounter on Wednesday, with the Belgian Pro League side taking the lead three times and the Catalans finding an answer on each occasion — first through Ferran Torres, then twice through Lamine Yamal, although the second of those has officially gone down as an own goal.

It wasn’t just the six goals. It wasn’t just Lamine Yamal showing he is back to his brilliant best. This game was drama from start to finish, including a Brugge penalty and what looked like a late winner for the home side — both of which were thankfully cancelled after VAR reviews.

Frenkie de Jong summed up the mood after the game. “It was a match we should have won, but we made too many mistakes,” he said. “If you let in three goals, it’s very difficult to win. We need to work hard and improve.”

The result means Barça have failed to move into the top eight at the halfway stage of the League Phase. But the cause is still very much alive, with Barça currently eleventh and only two points off their target, with games against Chelsea, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague and Copenhagen still to come.

Early goals each way

Frenkie was right. This was a game there for the taking, and Barça only have themselves to blame for not doing it. They dominated the first half but had just one goal to show for it, while the Belgians somehow managed to score twice.

Things got off to the worst possible start when the Barça defence — and its offside trap — were caught out by a lightning-fast counterattack. Nicolò Tresoldi beat Wojciech Szczęsny with the finish, and the home side were ahead after just six minutes.

Barça hit back less than two minutes later, Fermín López supplying the pass and Ferran Torres turning it over the line.

Another bounceback

After the early setback, it looked as though the Catalans had settled into the game, but on 17 minutes Brugge struck again on the counter, this time through Carlos Forbs, the same man who had set up his team's opener.

The reaction from Barça was superb, and for the rest of the half it was they who created all the pressure. Fermín and Jules Kounde both hit the woodwork, but it wasn’t until after the break that they finally drew level.

Lamine Yamal’s defence-splitting run was a delight to behold, with Fermín somehow intervening in the middle of it with a deft back-heel. The finish was as brilliant as we’ve come to expect from a player like Lamine.

And again

It had started to look like the comeback was on. Barça burst into life, but Brugge had other ideas. Forbs really should have scored on 62 minutes — he scooped that simple chance over the bar — but a minute later he made amends by collecting another ball on the counter and racing through to beat Szczęsny and restore the Belgian lead for the third time.

An already thrilling game was now electrifying. Barça got a let-off when a Brugge penalty was withdrawn following a VAR review, and then Lamine Yamal — moments after forcing a splendid fingertip save from home keeper Nordin Jackers — found the net with an almost identical shot. Jackers was caught out when the ball’s path was deflected by Tresoldi’s head, and although it will officially go down as an own goal, what mattered most was that Barça, for the third time in the game, were back level.

Late drama

And they were hungering for more, but the possession refused to convert into chances and instead the game’s final moment of high drama came in their own area. Szczęsny was robbed of possession by substitute Romeo Vermant and the Jan Breydelstadion erupted to celebrate what looked like a late winner — but VAR again brought Barça relief as Vermant was judged to have fouled the Polish keeper and the goal was ruled out.

A late flurry from Barça came to nothing, and a thoroughly entertaining, but also highly frustrating, game of football ended all square. Hansi Flick and his team will feel they probably deserved more than the single point they’re taking back to Catalonia, but Brugge put up a tremendous fight and reminded everyone that at this level, there’s no such thing as an easy game.

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