Without Messi, Barcelona barely saved the clothes against Cornellà

Messi suspended for the red one he saw in the final of the Spanish Super Cup against Athetic, Barcelona did not have the presence of its captain nor that of several of the referents, since Koeman bet on the rotation and only the central headlines and Griezmann were there from the beginning. The same, of course, it was supposed to reach him: from logic, a Second Division B team like Cornellà would not have to present him with major problems. But this is football. And in football you never have to take anything for granted. If you don’t look at what happened to Atlético de Madrid last week or to Real Madrid this Wednesday.

If the venue hadn’t had the incredible Ramón Juan in the arc, maybe the story would have been different. Because it was from his hands that Cornellà held the 0-0 in the 90 ‘regulation. Two saved penalties (to Pjanić first and Dembélé later) and a few more appearances earned him the prize of figure despite the defeat of his team, which fell in the extension.

Dembélé, a substitute at the start, came in for Riqui Puig in the second half and in addition to having missed a penalty (and how badly he kicked it!) He was, by far, Barça’s best in the game. A sablazo of his at the dawn of the first part of the extension gave him the goal that ended the anguish of the team and that also sentenced the classification to the second round.