FC Barcelona barely get a victory against Dynamo Kyiv

With only days away from El Clasico, FC Barcelona barely managed to get a victory against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League.

FC Barcelona really needed a victory tonight against Dynamo Kyiv if they wanted to gain confidence ahead of Sunday’s El Clasico. After two consecutive 3-0 defeats in their first two matches, the Blaugranas would certainly jeopardize their future in this tournament if another defeat took place. Camp Nou was emptier than usual with many supporters still unhappy about having Ronald Koeman still as the manager.

They hoped to see key players such as Ansu Fati or Sergio Aguero playing from the start. But the Dutch manager published the starting lineup to everyone’s dismay with Luuk de Jong featuring as the striker once again. Needless to say, the former Sevilla player missed every single chance he got over the 45 minutes he was on the pitch. There were two specific opportunities where he proved why he doesn’t have the level to play for this club. Koeman gave him another chance and he bottled it once again.

Pique comes in to save the day.

During a match where you feel the sense of urgency, Gerard Pique tends to play as a striker in the final minutes of the second half. However, he played this position almost from the start and he got a reward early in the game. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Pique scored the only goal of the match that gave Barcelona the lifeline they wanted. In the second half, Koeman gave Coutinho and Ansu Fati a full second half to help the squad but they weren’t lucky in front of goal.

Despite a massive improvement upfront, the Blaugranas weren’t able to secure the second goal with many missed chances to lament. Even Sergio Aguero had his chance to make his Champions League debut with Barcelona but he also didn’t get to make a difference. Despite getting a win tonight, the feeling for next Sunday doesn’t change. Either they improve dramatically or Real Madrid will score at least three goals at Camp Nou.