After a terrible matchday against Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona found their Champions League footing in a terrific game against Olympiacos. Still, they were far behind their biggest rivals in the championship table. Before their game against Club Brugge, they stood a chance of making up the difference. Both PSG and their biggest rivals, Real Madrid, lost the matches they had played the previous day. It was the chance that Blaugrana so desperately needed, but if they wanted to take advantage, they needed to put their all on the Belgian field.
The beginning of the game between Barcelona and Brugge brought with it more excitement than anyone could have expected. After just six minutes, Nicolo Tresoldi opened the score to the joy of all the fans gathered on the stands of their home stadium. The host team didn’t get to celebrate for long. Before the dust could settle, Fermin Lopez’s assist allowed Ferran Torres to equalize.
Barcelona went on to press the Belgian club. Ferran came close to increasing his team’s lead, but ended up hitting the post instead of putting the ball in Brugge’s net. Rashford saw a good but equally disappointing situation soon after. Their opponents took advantage of the failed attempts. 17 minutes after the start of the game, Carlos Forbs found himself alone against Wojciech Szczęsny. He converted the situation into a second goal for his team.
The Catalan club spent the rest of the first half desperately trying to level the playing field. Action after action, they pressed Brugge, but none of their many attempts ended with a change in score. Barcelona went into the break with both a disadvantage and a lot to think about.
Barcelona returned to the field hungry for another goal. They pressed the Belgian team even more than in the first half, but couldn’t quite convert their actions into anything meaningful. That was until Lamine Yamal got involved.
The Spanish youngster brought back some of the praise he had been given in the previous season. He noted an almost entirely solo attack, helped only by a slight touch from the incredible Fermin. Having passed by two defenders, he put the ball in Brugge’s net, inviting hope back into the hearts of all Culers.
During the first half, Barcelona answered Brugge’s goal only a few minutes after the score had changed. In the second half, the roles had reversed. This time, it was the Belgian club that scored before the dust could settle. It was Forbs, the hero of the game, who added another goal to his tally.
The tension only grew as the clock ticked down the time. Barcelona, already at a disadvantage, found themselves facing a possible penalty after Alejandro Balde’s supposed foul in the penalty box. To their relief, the decision was called off after a quick VAR check. Still, only twenty minutes of standard time remained, and they were no closer to reaching the coveted three points.
Blaugrana’s saving grace, once again, came in the form of the phenomenal Yamal. He was the player who shot the ball at Brugge’s net, although he wasn’t the one who finished the job. That honor, or rather dishonor, belonged to Christos Tzolis, who flicked the ball and scored an unfortunate own goal.
The game wasn’t over yet. For quite a while, a draw seemed like the only possible option. Then, just as the referee added six minutes to the standard time, Szczęsny made a terrible mistake which allowed Romeo Vermant to put his team in the lead once more. The Belgian stadium errupted in screams, but the joy was premature. After a VAR check, the goal was overturned, bringing the score back to 3:3.
The match ended in a draw. Barcelona, seen as the top candidate for the win, could only be disappointed about not living up to their potential. At the same time, Brugge could almost taste the victory before it was ripped out of their hands. For them, the draw just wasn’t enough.
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