Barcelona‘s first match in the 2019 – 20Champions Leaguegroup stage was as tough as advertised, with theBlaugranahaving to work very hard to earn a point away from home againstBorussia Dortmund.Marco Reusand Marc-André ter Stegen were the stars of the game, and it was the Barça keeper who got the better of his national teammate with one of the best goalkeeping performances we’ve ever seen from MATS, and he was the reason why Barça managed to escape with a 0-0 draw despite a very poor attacking game.
FIRST HALF
Dortmund started the game as the better team with plenty of pressure and taking advantage of a little case of the nerves from Barça, who weren’t as precise with their passing and shot themselves in the foot a few times. Marco Reus had a huge chance and Ter Stegen made a great save, but that was about it from Dortmund.
After about 20 minutes Barça took control of the game and forced Borussia to play deep inside their half, and Arthur decided to take the ball and control the tempo while trying to find teammates in good positions. The Brazilian was always active and looking to create chances, but he had little help from the three forwards who didn’t move a lot and mostly waited for the ball.
Barça didn’t create any real chances, but at halftime they looked like the team closer to a goal. Could they finish the job in the second half?
SECOND HALF
The second half started with a dumb penalty by Nélson Semedo on Jadon Sancho, and Dortmund had a chance to go in front. But Ter Stegen showed why he’s the best German goalkeeper around and stopped Reus from the spot, and Barça dodged a bullet as they looked for the win.
With 30 minutes to go in the game it was time to give Lionel Messi his season debut, and the captain came on to try and provide Suárez and Griezmann with a killer pass or two. Unfortunately for Messi he couldn’t get hold of the ball because Dortmund raised their level and became very dangerous, with a shot against the crossbar and a few incredible saves from Ter Stegen.
Barça had the possession in the final 10 minutes but couldn’t find a way to break down a solid Dortmund defense, and the game ended with a 0-0 draw. Barça are lucky to get a point, and Ter Stegen is a monster.
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba (Roberto 40 ‘); De Jong, Busquets (Rakitic 60 ‘), Arthur; Ansu Fati (Messi 59 ‘), Suárez, Griezmann
Goals:None
Dortmund: Bürki; Hakimi, Akanji, Hummels, Guerreiro; Witsel, Delaney; Sancho, Reus, Hazard (Brandt 73 ‘); Alcácer (Brunn Larsen 87 ‘)
Goals:None
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