Champions League: Barcelona hold Club Brugge to thrilling 3-3 draw
What's the story
In a thrilling UEFA Champions League encounter, FC Barcelona drew 3-3 with Club Brugge. The match was played at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges, Belgium. Despite trailing three times during the game, Barcelona managed to equalize on each occasion. Lamine Yamal was the star of the show for Barcelona, scoring a stunning goal and forcing another own goal. Here are further details and stats.
Match highlights
A back-and-forth 1st half
The match started with Club Brugge taking an early lead in the sixth minute. Carlos Forbs raced down the right flank and squared the ball for Nicolo Tresoldi, who slid it into the net. However, Barcelona equalized just two minutes later through Ferran Torres's first-time finish from Fermin Lopez's cross. The game was back and forth from there as both teams traded goals and near misses throughout the match.
Key moments
Yamal's stunning goal
Yamal, who has been in fine form for Barcelona, scored a brilliant goal. He beat two defenders with his skill before playing a one-two with Dani Olmo and slotting it home. However, Club Brugge responded quickly as Forbs capitalized on a high Barcelona defensive line to score his second goal of the match. The game continued to swing back and forth as both teams pushed for more goals.
VAR drama
Controversies galore in Bruges
The match was not without its share of controversy. Club Brugge thought they had won the game in injury time when Romeo Vermant slid in on Wojciech Szczesny before scoring into an empty net. However, the goal was disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR) for a foul. Barcelona also saw three of their shots hit the woodwork, adding to the drama of this high-stakes encounter.
Match analysis
A classic contest on offer
Both teams will feel they were unlucky to settle for a draw in this thrilling encounter. While Club Brugge would have settled for a draw before kick-off, their frustration is understandable after going ahead three times and being awarded a penalty. Barcelona, on the other hand, may feel they could have won after battling back three times and hitting the woodwork thrice.
Information
A look at the points table
The result leaves Barcelona with seven points from 4 matches. Hansi Flick's men are 11th in the 36-team standings. Club Brugge have collected 4 points from four games. They are placed 22nd.
Opta stats
Unwanted records for Barca
Barcelona have conceded in each of their last nine games in all competitions. This is their worst run without a clean sheet since March 2013 (13 games, 21 goals conceded). Barcelona conceded twice in just 16 minutes and 35 seconds against Club Brugge. This is now the earliest they have ever been two goals behind in a UEFA Champions League match.
Do you know?
Carlos Forbs of Club Brugge enters record books
As per Opta, Club Brugge's Carlos Forbs (21y 231d) is the youngest player to both score and assist in a Champions League match against Barcelona. He surpassed the record by David Beckham at Old Trafford in September 1998 (23y 137d).