Chasing suffocating, Man United's 2-2 draw at Barca

1 year ago

In the first half, there were no goals scored in the first leg of the round of 16 Europa League match between Barcelona and Man Utd. However, the second half saw a flurry of goals, with four goals being evenly split between the two teams (2-2).

Barcelona and Man Utd both struggled to score in the first half. However, just five minutes into the second half, Alonso helped Barcelona take the lead. Only three minutes later, Rashford equalized for the away team. Man Utd then took the lead in the 59th minute after Kounde scored an own goal. However, Raphinha helped Barcelona salvage a draw with a goal in the 76th minute.

Both teams played a balanced game, with Barcelona having slightly more ball possession than Man Utd (58% to 42%) but with a similar number of shots (18 to 7). Both teams did not have many clear-cut chances, and their goals were somewhat unexpected and fortunate. In terms of playing poorly, both teams were also similar, with many misplaced passes, especially from the defenders. Therefore, the draw was a fair result.

Barcelona started the game calmly when hosting Man Utd at home, and it seemed that coach Xavi was wary of the opponent's attacking abilities. Man Utd pushed their team forward to play a high-pressing game, but the first dangerous chance of the match belonged to the home team. In the 9th minute, Lewandowski shielded the ball and skillfully dribbled inside Man Utd's penalty box, shooting from the left side that forced De Gea to push the ball out.

When Barcelona pushed their team forward, Man Utd actively withdrew their entire team back to defend. This made it difficult for the home team to launch attacks. Barcelona couldn't maintain its dominance for too long, and they were gradually pushed back by Man Utd, creating a fierce tug-of-war situation.

At minute 27, Wan-Bissaka raced up the right flank to receive the ball and beat the home team's defender's tackle before hastily passing to Sancho. The English player's shot was deflected by a Barcelona player's foot in the penalty area and went out near the left post.

The first real dangerous opportunity of the match arrived in minute 28. While Barcelona players were complaining about a foul in the midfield, Fernandes quickly passed a long ball across the line to Weghorst, who sprinted toward Ter Stegen. The Man Utd forward shot straight at the German goalkeeper, and the ball was blocked.

Both teams made many passing errors, which gave their opponents several chances to approach the goal. In minute 34, Rashford controlled the ball after a stepover and quickly shot from the left side inside Barcelona's penalty area. Although it was a close-range shot, it was still very powerful. Ter Stegen jumped to punch the ball out of bounds.

In the last minutes of the first half, Man Utd played well against Barcelona, but the away team's strikers couldn't create a breakthrough. In the early stages of the second half, both teams played evenly. In minute 48, Raphinha shot hard from outside the penalty area, and the ball went wide of Man Utd's left post. A minute later, Sancho made the home team's supporters catch their breath when he shot from the left, and the ball deflected off the post.

Barcelona surprisingly opened the scoring in the 50th minute. Raphinha took a corner kick from the right, he crossed the ball to the far corner for Alonso to run in and head in from about 5 meters away. Man Utd's defense made a big mistake by not keeping an eye on the Spanish defender.

However, Barcelona's lead did not last long. In the 53rd minute, Fred made a good pass to allow Rashford to penetrate the penalty area. The English player shot from a narrow angle to the right of the goal. The ball sunk into the near corner, and although Ter Stegen actively closed the angle, he could not stop the opponent's quick shot.

The game continued with both teams attacking. In the 50th minute, Barcelona unexpectedly scored the opening goal. Raphinha took a corner kick from the right, he sent the ball to the far post for Alonso to head the ball from about 5 meters away to score. The Man Utd defense made a big mistake by not paying attention to the Spanish defender.

However, Barcelona's lead did not last long. In the 53rd minute, Fred made a favorable pass for Rashford to enter the penalty area. The English player shot from a narrow-angle on the right side of the goal. The ball sank into the near corner, and even though Ter Stegen actively closed the angle, he could not stop the opponent's quick shot.

Both teams continued to attack in the following period. In the 59th minute, Man Utd took the lead 2-1 due to Kounde's own goal. Starting from the away team's corner kick, Rashford dribbled into the penalty area and then crossed to Sancho. From Sancho's heel flick, the ball hit the French defender and went into the net. VAR intervened to check whether the Man Utd player was offside or not, but the final decision was a valid goal.

Being behind, Barcelona had to push their team up to attack, which helped Man Utd have more space to counterattack. In the 62nd minute, Wan-Bissaka comfortably shot from close to the home team's penalty area, but unfortunately, the ball went wide of the post.

In the 68th minute, Lewandowski took a free-kick from about 25 meters away, and the ball hit the crossbar of Man Utd. One minute later, Fred made the home fans nervous when he shot from outside the penalty area, the ball went straight but missed the post.

Although their attacks were not sharp, Barcelona unexpectedly equalized in the 76th minute. Raphinha crossed the ball from the left to the center of the penalty area toward Lewandowski's position. The Polish striker was closely marked by Varane, and both failed to receive the ball. The ball hit the ground and went into the right corner of the goal, making De Gea stunned.

After the equalizer, Barcelona increased their attacking pace. In the 87th minute, Man Utd players failed to clear the ball from a free-kick, and Casemiro let the ball bounce into the box, but luckily for him, the crossbar saved the situation. A few seconds later, Fati attempted a volley at the center of the penalty area, but the ball bounced off the ground and De Gea was able to push it away.

Neither team could score again, so they accepted the 2-2 draw at Camp Nou. The second leg will take place at Old Trafford on February 24th. As the away goals rule is no longer in effect, the teams will have to win the second leg to determine which team will advance.

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