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BARÇA REMAINS UNDEFEATED IN MONTJUÏC

FC Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta: Thrilling match, second place and into the knockout stage!

Published:29/01/2025 - 23:16h

Updated:30/01/2025 - 05:57h

Barça achieved an exciting draw against Atalanta in Montjuïc (2-2). The Catalans secured second place and are now waiting for their opponent in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

Calendar of FC Barcelona

The FC Barcelona achieved its goal in the final match of the group stage of the Champions League 2024-25. The Blaugrana team hosted Atalanta at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in a match that posed a real challenge for the team, and despite being undeniably superior to their rivals and having several opportunities to score, their finishing let them down, and they could only manage a 2-2 draw that allowed them to secure second place in the table.

Under Hansi Flick, they faced an unfamiliar opponent in the club's history, which has been one of the revelations of this season's tournament. The team led by Gian Piero Gasperini managed to stand up to the Blaugrana in Montjuïc, a territory that, until this Wednesday, had only known victory, and they scraped a point that prevented the Catalans from taking advantage of Liverpool's loss to PSV and claiming the top spot.

A 'stuck' first half for Barça

The first 45 minutes were very complicated for Barça, who even had a couple of scares. 'La Dea' came out determined to surprise the Blaugrana and, with a brutal physical effort, pressed the Catalans all over the field, who struggled to find fluidity in their possessions and relied on flashes of a spectacular Lamine Yamal, who was a true 'headache' for the Italian defense.

Wojciech Szczesny made a couple of miraculous saves, one of them on the line, to prevent his goal from falling before the half-hour mark, but after this point, Davide Zappacosta opened the scoring for the match. However, after a VAR intervention, the main referee disallowed this goal for a clear, albeit marginal, offside.

On the brink of halftime, Gavi raised alarms in the Catalan capital after falling to the ground at the Estadi Olímpic. The midfielder felt discomfort in his left leg, and his teammates feared the worst, but after a couple of minutes, he got up and completed the first half normally.

Barça couldn't impose themselves in the second half

Upon returning from the locker room, Barça struck when both teams were still settling onto the field. In the 47th minute, Lewandowski set up Raphinha with a luxurious pass, and the Brazilian laid it on a silver platter for the star from Mataró, who, after dribbling past the goalkeeper and outpacing Kolasinac, finished comfortably to score the first goal of the night.

The Catalans took control of the match, and 'Rapha' and Lamine threatened to increase the team's lead. However, just when the home side was at their best, Éderson made a great individual play at the edge of the box and sent a powerful shot into the back of Szczesny's net, who this time could do nothing against the unstoppable strike from the 'La Dea' midfielder.

The Blaugrana's reaction came quickly, and five minutes later, in the 72nd minute, Ronald Araujo confirmed his return to form by scoring the goal that put the Catalans ahead once again. The Uruguayan finished completely unmarked at the far post from a corner taken by Raphinha, celebrating his first goal in the Champions League.

However, Atalanta continued the exchange of blows, and in the 79th minute, Pasalic leveled the score with a shot that went under Szczesny's legs. The Blaugrana searched desperately for the winning goal, and in the 90+3rd minute, Carnesecchi made a crucial save to deny Robert Lewandowski's winning goal, and despite their insistence, Flick's men had to settle for a draw despite their evident superiority.

Barça finishes second in the standings

As it stands, Barça could not take advantage of the surprising loss of Liverpool to PSV (2-3) and finished the group stage in second place, accumulating 19 points out of 24, a truly spectacular figure. Additionally, the Catalans managed to complete the first round of the competition with an impressive unbeaten record in Montjuïc, where they achieved 3 victories and 1 draw.

Now, the Catalans will enjoy just over a month of rest in the competition and await their opponent in the knockout stage. The Catalans could face Monaco, Brest, Paris Saint-Germain, or Benfica, and although they may seem like tough opponents at first glance, the reality is that the fantastic first phase of Flick's team makes them clear favorites to lift the trophy next May 31 in Munich.

Technical sheet of the match:    

  • FC Barcelona, 2: Wojciech Szczesny (P);  Koundé, Eric García (Cubarsí, min. 69), Araujo, Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Gavi (Fermín López, min. 69), Pedri (Casadó, min. 80); Lamine Yamal (Pau Víctor, min. 87), Raphinha, Lewandowski (Ferran Torres, min. 69).
  • Atalanta, 2:  Marco Carnesecchi; Sead Kolasinac (Scalvini, min. 55), Isak Hien, Berat Djimsiti; Davide Zappacosta (Ruggeri, min. 77), Éderson, Marten de Roon, Raoul Bellanova (Cuadrado, min. 77), Mario Pasalic; Mateo Retegui (Zaniolo, min. 77) and Charles De Ketelaere (Brescianini, min. 87).
  • Goals: 1-0 Lamine Yamal (min. 47); 1-1 Éderson (min. 67); 2-1 Ronald Araujo (min. 72); 2-2 Pasalic (min. 79).
  • Referee: Michael Oliver. He cautioned the 'nerazzurri' Kolasinac and de Roon.