Barcelona opened their account in the Champions League this season with a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kyiv.
The pressure was mounting on Ronald Koeman and his men following a terrible start to their Champions League campaign – two back to back heavy defeats against Bayern Munich and Benfica.
However, today they managed to secure three important points after veteran defender Gerard Pique scored the only goal of the game.
Here are the talking points from Barca’s narrow win over the Ukrainian minnows.
Pique answers his critics
There has been a lot said and written about Gerard Pique this season as the fans feel that Blaugrana’s seasoned campaigner is a shadow of his former self. The Spanish centre-back may not be the player he once used to be but today’s performance shows why he should be an outright starter. Pique exhibited a defensive masterclass and on top of everything he scored the winning goal. The former Spanish international showed his attacking nature by presenting himself in the box to slot Jordi Alba’s cross into the nets.
A not-so-convincing performance from the Catalans
Barca might have found a breathing space after today’s win but the reality is the performance was ordinary. Coming off an impressive win against Valencia, the Catalan giants were expected to run riot against Dynamo Kyiv. But the 1-0 scoreline suggests that the performance could have been better. The home side spent more time on the ball and attempted more shots than Kyiv’s zero shots on target, but they failed to make the most of it. Luuk de Jong was a disappointment in the first half and got substituted at halftime. Even the introduction of Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho – goal scorers against Valencia – in the second half didn’t improve things for Barca.
Nonetheless, Koeman’s side have managed consecutive wins for the first time this season and the momentum would be highly helpful ahead of the El Classico this weekend.
