Barcelona failed to beat Benfica in Xavi’s Champions League debut, so they have to beat Bayern at the Allianz Arena or wait until Benfica fail to score against Dynamo Kiev.
Xavi Hernández’s debut in the Champions League wasn’t all hopeful. In a match where Catalonia was always dominating with his 0-0 result, Barcelona were unable to beat Benfica.
A great first half for Barcelona, despite the pitch conditions caused by heavy rain in the city. The game started with a dominant Barcelona who barely let Benfica out of the field. Frenkie de Jong, Araujo, Nico and Gabi were key to Barcelona’s attack in the first half. The first half wasn’t great, but Benficate marked a real goal with a play that was quickly nullified with the ball outside the field boundary in the middle of the corner. The fans cheered enthusiastically every time Barcelona got close to Brachodimos’ goal. This has not been seen in the Catalan territories for a long time.
But the second part began to put Xavi Hernandez’s stuff to sleep. Despite Benfica’s weakness throughout the match, it was difficult for them to launch dangerous attacks. The Catalans dominated the game but could not find a way past Bracodimos goal. Ronald Araujo played a key role throughout the match and with the Uruguayan central defender’s position advancing, the referee finally scored a goal at the level of his genuine game.
The “Xavi Era” Begins
The Terrassa coach made his Barcelona debut last Saturday in the Catalan derby against RCD Espanyol at Camp Nou. The game was decided with a still-controversial penalty from “Lele” Cabrera against Memphis early in the second half, with Espanyol conceding in the final minutes.
But today he failed to live up to expectations in his Champions League debut against Benfica at the Camp Nou and fans expect Xavi Hernández to return the ‘old Barça’. was doing.
Barcelona rely on themselves
Xavi Hernández’s set relies on himself after a scoreless draw against Benfica. Qualification for the final for the eighth time depends on Allianz beating Bayern in his arena. This is a very difficult feat given the level Germany his team continues to maintain. Benfica will help Dynamo if he fails to score against Kiev.
