All Bar�a�s football

Match

Marcador del partit

Date: Wednesday, 20 Oct
Competition: ???label.competicio1???
Stadium: Camp Nou, Barcelona

Resultat:

FC Barcelona: 2
Kobenhavn: 0

Match report

Match Report
Pre-Match

Match Report

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The goals

1-0, Messi (min 19)
2-0, Messi (min 92)

Messi puts Bar�a top of group (2-0)

Roger Boguny�

FC Barcelona have beaten Copenhagen 2-0 and thus leap to the top of Champions League Group D. Messi scored a goal in each half.

There are no easy games in the Champions League, and the Camp Nou bore witness to that tonight. FC Barcelona were all over their Danish visitors, and hit the back of the net no fewer than four times in the first half, but three of those goals were rightly disallowed by the linesman. The only one that stood was that scored by Messi, as effective as ever on the European stage. But things were less impressive in the second half, when Bar�a once again struggled to sentence the game until the Argentinian grabbed his second in injury time.

The 2-0 win puts Bar�a top of the group, where they replace Copenhagen. In two weeks time, the teams meet again in the Danish capital.

Messi missile to open

With a Bar�a starting midfield featuring Mascherano, Busquets and Maxwell, many might have predicted a lack of creativity, but that proved anything but the case. The ball was played around with all the right intent, and it was Villa who first took advantage of such possession with a strike onto the crossbar. Leo Messi was the man to finally broke the deadlock with a storming left-footed drive that powered into the net – reminiscent of his goal against Mallorca or the one against Arsenal last season.

Wiland to the rescue

A magnificent Iniesta was proving a nightmare for the Danes, and Bar�a could have had the game done and dusted had their next three ‘goals’, despite being brilliant, not all been scored from offside positions. The other reason for Barcelona’s lack of goalscoring was visiting keeper Wiland, who produced excellent saves to deny Villa, Maxwell and Alves.

Great Danes

There was a change of pattern after the break. FC Copenhagen moved their pieces forward, while FC Barcelona seemed to be running out of ideas. There was a sense that the Danish confidence was growing, and an N’Doye strike onto Pinto’s bar almost silenced the Camp Nou. At the other end, Villa was once again thwarted by Wiland, but with Bar�a hanging onto a slender lead, there was a growing concern that the visitors might just sneak a late equaliser.

Messi sentences

Mascherano was really shining for the Catalans tonight, and put in some providential tackles. Guardiola sent Xavi on to operate beside him, and also opted for Pedro in search of the elusive second goal. That looked to have come in the 88th minute, but Alves’ effort rebounded back off the bar. The game was not put out of Danish reach until we were already into time added on for stoppages, when Messi tapped in from close range following an Abidal assist. Copenhagen are to be commended on a terrific performance, but ultimately Bar�a were too hot for them to handle.

Preview

First meeting

FC Barcelona and FC Copenhagen are preparing to face each for the first time ever with Bar�a’s record against Danish opponents reading five wins and one draw from six outings.

Bar�a ready for great Danes

Jordi Clos

FC Barcelona return to Champions League action on Wednesday evening (20:45, R@dio Bar�a) when they entertain Group D leaders FC Copenhagen in Camp Nou looking to move into first place.

The Blaugrana were held in their last European outing as they drew with Rubin in Kazan and saw the Danish outfit go top as they recorded their second triumph of the group with victory over Panathinaikos in Greece. Bar�a have put their domestic home form back on track with an impressive comeback against Valencia at the weekend and now want to reassert themselves in the Champions League with a triumph against Copenhagen.

Bar�a qualified directly for the Champions League group stages as Spanish champions, but the Danish side spent August progressing to the same round as they played two-legged ties against Rosenborg and then BATE to make it. Copenhagen have played Spanish league opposition in six games before and their record stands at three draws and three defeats, while Bar�a have met a team from Denmark in just one tie since the introduction of the Champions League, as they beat Brondby 2-0 both home and away.

Milito and Vald�s out

Xavi Hern�ndez is back in the squad and may feature despite asking to be substituted in the win over Valencia at the weekend. The midfielder recovered from ankle injury to play on Saturday and still felt slight pain although he has been included in the Champions League squad Thiago Alc�ntara is also in as Gaby Milito and Vald�s are the players out. For Copenhagen Morten Nordstrand is back in full training after being out of action since March while S�lvi Ottesen and Martin Bergvold remain long-term absentees.

Table toppers

Copenhagen are not only top of the Champions League group, they are also in prime place in the Danish first division and go into the encounter on the back of a 5-0 triumph over Odense that made it ten wins out of 11 games this season. Cesar Satin has stood out this term for the L�verne who have made their best ever start to a domestic season.