A team performance and two auto goals helped Barcelona beat AS Roma to give them a lead going into the second leg. Photo Courtesy of @ChampionsLeague
Another round of UEFA Champions League is on its way with FC Barcelona hosting AS Roma and Manchester City visiting Liverpool. The second set of the first of two legs is sure to spark interest to any football fan. Yesterday we saw a close match between Sevilla and Bayern Munich ending in a 1-2 for the German side, and an awe-inspiring match by Real Madrid over Juventus. Are we to see such jaw-dropping games today?
Barcelona vs. Roma
Barcelona Starting Line-Up: Ter Stegen; Alba, Umtiti, Pique, Semedo; Sergi Roberto, Busquets, Rakitic; Iniesta, Messi, Suarez
Roma Starting Line-Up: Becker; Peres, Manolas, Fazio, Kolarov; Strootman, De Rossi, Pellegrini; Perotti, Dzeko, Florenzi
Top of the table, Spanish side Barcelona hosted Italian team AS Roma who currently sits in third place in the Serie A. Barcelona had the advantage playing at home at the Camp Nou, a place in the Copa Del Rey final and standing firmly at the top of their league with a nine point gap between secondplace Atletico Madrid. They looked to be the stronger side having placed in the quarterfinals for the 11thtime in a row while Roma reached the stage for the first time in 10 years since their last encounter with Manchester United in the 2008-9 season.
Although Barcelona seemed strong on paper, they struggled in the first half of the game, having loose fluency and control of the ball. Very early on, Roma was pressuring up high, which is a tactic Barcelona sometimes struggles with. Even with Roma’s attackers going up high, Barcelona was still able to take control of the midfield for the most part, thanks to Spanish midfielders Andres Iniesta and Busquets, creating multiple chances. It took until the 38thminute before the deadlock was broken, but not by a Barcelona player. Italian defensive midfielder Daniele De Rossi tried to block the ball sliding down but the shot went straight into the net. With a one goal lead, Barcelona was slowly taking control of the game as the goal seemed to build up their confidence.
Another own goal struck Roma by Kostas Manolas in the 55thminute, making them go under one more. At this state, Roma’s players are desperate to score a goal, as one away goal could comfortably put them in a good position in the second leg at Stadio Olimpico. However, the two goals were enough to get Barcelona fired up, as they were then taking control of the game. It took just four minutes for them to score their first goal, with Spanish defender Gerard Pique tapping it in from a rebounded shot by Luis Suarez.
Barcelona looked to have had one leg in the semifinals, until No. 9 Bosnian forward Edin Dzeko scored from the center of the box with his left foot in the 80thminute. This away goal gave Roma a possibility to advance to the next round, only needing to score two goals in the second leg at home.
Roma was now slowly starting to create more runs and chances, but Barcelona’s attackers along with Lionel Messi’s passes and dribbling gave them the upper hand once more. Luis Suarez finally found the net in a Champions League match for the first time in over a year, the left footed shot going into the bottom right corner. The match ended 4–1 with an incredible defensive performance by Pique and Semedo.
As for the Liverpool and Manchester City match, Liverpool gave soccer fans a shock to have won by three goals over English Premier League leaders. A goal by Mohamed Salah in the 12thminute sparked the match, leading two more goals by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sadio Mane.
To recap the first leg of two this week:
Juventus 0–3 Real Madrid
Sevilla 1–2 Bayern Munich
Barcelona 4–1 AS Roma
Liverpool 3–0 Manchester City
