U19A crowned champions of División de Honor

Barça are champions of División de Honor Group 3 following a 1-1 draw against Cornellá at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. They are the first academy team who have won the title this season. Gabri Garcia’s team could potentially add another three trophies before the season is up as they are into the semi-finals of the UEFA Youth League against Salzburg, and are still in the Champions Cup and the Copa del Rey.

The U19A side won their division following an almost perfect league campaign ending in the title with two rounds of fixtures to spare. Their fantastic possession based football resulted in 20 wins from 28 games and 64 goals for compared to only 22 against. This makes them the league’s top scorers by far. Another strength has been their home form with only one loss out of 14 home games.

Against Cornellá, the academy side had lots of injuries to contend with and absences due to international matches, but Barça were still able to get the point they needed. Gabri’s team controlled possession for long periods but struggled to create clear cut chances against one of the tightest defences in the league. The away side played on the counter-attack and they scored first in the 35th minute. Gibert moved forwards with the ball and finished well to put Cornella ahead. The blaugranas didn’t take long to respond through a Guerrero cross which was volleyed in by David Alfonso (1-1).

After the break Barça looked for the second goal but once again found themselves kept at arm’s length by a resolute defence. They had a few chances but it was not enough to get the win. In the final moments, the U19As sought to protect the result which they knew was enough to clinch the league and even though it was a nervy ending they managed to see the game out. Once the final whistle went the squad celebrated on Pitch 7 at the Ciutat Esportiva.