With Ter Stegen and Jofre, without Joan García and without Var; With shouts of “yes we can” in Guadalajara and trouble with two extra stands with which the local club wanted to make a splash with the visit of Barça, the game began half an hour … late and with this feeling of the cup nights in which the big teams can only botch it. It is a strange feeling because losing seems impossible, and it is not at all, and the undeniable effort that must be made to beat a lesser but highly motivated team does not help them to recognize you at all.
Both teams tried to score from very far away, but the one who came closest to achieving it was Eric García with a poisoned shot that Dani Vicente was finally able to stop, in two halves. Boring game, with cameras in only one stand, difficult to watch on TV, not exactly difficult, but unpleasant. Lamine Yamal tried to overwhelm but he couldn’t even with Preferente’s defenses in the relegation zone. Guadalajara arrived from time to time but their forwards wasted the little their plays gave. They defended like wolves, yes, leaving the honor of their club and their professionalism very high. Dani Vicente saved well what first Christensen and then Rashford tried from a distance after a foul; and although Ter Stegen did not make mistakes, you could see in his starts and in his play with his feet how good Joan García is.
Lamine used standard resources, such as his center with the outside, but without much luck. We should start to divide this boy into what each of his games costs us. Guadalajara tried their luck from wherever they could and as quickly as they could, but they lacked aim. In the last minutes of the first half, it became more evident that the home team did not have Barça as its main rival but rather its technical limitations. They didn’t know what to do with the ball either when driving or when they managed to run and have some finishes. Despite this, an uninspired Barça was unable to assert its theoretical superiority and get ahead on the scoreboard. Eric must be given the merit and dedication of finishing and even defending with his head despite the mask he has to wear.
Cubarsi came on for Marc Bernal after the break and Dani Vicente once again saved his team, breaking up a good wall between Roony and Rashford. Guadalajara had its drawbacks and at least once came close to scoring. From the 55th minute onwards, the visitors’ hammering became very overwhelming and the goal was considered in any play. Titanic local resistance, but with no resources other than honor and crossing our fingers to try to avoid what seemed inevitable. Although with some impurities, Dani Vicente was the absolute hero of his team, with stops at the limit.
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Guadalajara:
Dani Vicente; Cera (Neskes, min. 83), Ablanque, Casado, Julio Martínez; Manu Ramírez (Toño Calvo, min. 62), Pablo Rojo, Samu Mayo (Tavares, min. 72), Agus Moreno (Gallardo, min. 62); Alex Cañizo, Borja Díaz (Mendes, min. 62). -
Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Gerard Martin, min. 86); Bernal (Cubarsian, min. 46), Of Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Bardhji (Pedri, min. 75); Rashford. -
Goals:
0-1, min. 76: Christensen. 0-2, min. 90: Rashford. -
Arbitrator:
Soto Grado (Rioja Committee). He cautioned Bernal (min. 30), Manu Ramírez (min. 32), Samu Mayo (min. 54) and Ablanque (min. 71).
Guadalajara was trying to buy time and make sure that as few things as possible would happen, but the minutes are slow when you only have to resist against an army so superior to yours. Laminate without appearing. Christensen saved what could have been the first goal of the game. And just when Barça was close to entering its minutes of panic with a goalless tie that was difficult to unlock, De Jong made a good cross that Christensen finished off – a good game from the Dane – to decide the night and the tie. Guadalajara did not throw in the towel, their attitude must be praised, and Ter Stegen avoided the tie with a couple of good saves, probably the last two he will make with the Barça shirt. Very disappointing Lamine, who in the 80th minute, due to mere lack of attention, wasted a clear shot. Rashford scored the 0-2 in the 90th minute. Barça were agonizing against a team of a very inferior category and who did little to show it.
