We love to see it.
Heading into this match, most Barcelona fans—myself included—were burdened by the memory of our failure against Celta Vigo, where we conceded 2 goals in 2 minutes.
To make matters worse, we lost the match before that, crumbling to Real Sociedad. During that game, we recorded zero shots on target, quite the feat for a team with Raphinha, Olmo, and the record-breaking Lewandowski leading the attack. It was, however, a testament to our reliance on Lamine's brilliance on the right wing and his ability to get out of tight spots and send the ball into the box.
Coming into the game, Barcelona has recorded a 0% win rate without Lamine, losing to Osasuna and Real Sociedad, and drawing against Celta Vigo.
There was a lot riding on this game.
The inclusion of Gerard Martin in the starting eleven further worsened my hopes and I feared we were headed for another draw or even worse, a loss.
90 minutes later, I am elated and overjoyed to write this article. Three goals, three points in the bag, and second (for now) on the Champions League table.
Gerard Martin?
Come to the front. Step out. Congratulations on that game.
Okay. Yes, I know that his performance was not the best. Maybe not up to the standard we associate with the Barca team but he had a solid game. An excellent performance. Incomparable to the disaster that occurred over the weekend.
He lost the ball a couple of times but did not go for any dangerous tackles. He was a stable player at the back.
However, when Balde came on, the attack improved and the left-back was able to assist Lewandowski’s second—and Barca’s third—goal. Not that we are comparing Balde to Martin.
Of course, we give thanks to IƱaki PeƱa for the clean sheet and the offside trap for the disallowed goal. Praise to the magical Pedri and the hardworking Casado for manning the midfield expertly.
All in all, it was a solid performance from the Blaugrana, a form we hope they can replicate over the next few matches.
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