The captain saves the day and gives Barca hope

It wasn’t flashy, it wasn’t convincing, but it was a victory and it counts. In their current state, Barcelona need wins, as many as possible. With their financial plight, the Catalonians just cannot afford to exit the Champions League in the group stages. And after two defeats, they needed a win, any win against Dynamo Kyiv. And they did it, without Pedri, and with Ansu Fati, Sergio Aguero and Philippe Coutinho, all on the bench. It was the captain, Gerrard Pique, who provided the only goal of the match: Barcelona – Dynamo Kyiv 1-0.

It was 36th minute, when the only goal of the game was scored. Alba had a wonderful cross, and team captain was left all alone to finish with a wonderful goal. Koeman brought in Ansu Fati and Coutinho at the start of the second half, instead of De Jong and Mingueza, as he wanted to score the second goal as soon as possible. After a while, when it came apparent that it won’t happen, it was the Brazilian who actually went on and secured ball possession for the hosts, who were in fear to concede an equalizer, which would be a total disaster. They were worried for no reason, as the guests didn’t have a single shot on target.

Barcelona planned three points and a bit of a rest ahead of big derby with Real on Sunday, and they managed both. They are still only third in the Champions League group, and it seems that, if they win against Dynamo in Kyiv, home match against Benfica will be crucial for the knockout phase.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND 3

Wednesday

Barcelona - Dynamo Kyiv 1-0

/Pique, 36/

Benfica - Bayern Munich