This is not how Robert Lewandowski imagined his move from FC Bayern to FC Barcelona. The Polish star striker had set out to conquer Europe in football with the Catalans. The 34-year-old scored 17 times in 16 competitive games, but the Champions League chapter was over after five of six matchdays in the group stage. The Spanish runner-up was eliminated – also because the Munich team (once again) showed him the limits. After the 0: 2 in the Allianz Arena, this time there was a 0: 3 defeat at the Camp Nou.
Bayern have won the last six duels with “Barca”, the goal difference of 22:4 speaks volumes. No wonder the Iberian media were harsh on Xavi’s team. “Europe has lost all respect for FC Barcelona. Since losing to Atletico Madrid in 2016, the team has gone from disaster to disaster – in free fall, without brakes,” wrote the Catalan newspaper Sport.
‘Barca is just Bayern’s toy’
Madrid-based AS didn’t skimp on criticism either: “Barca are just Bayern’s playthings. The Bayern Munich team, playing at half strength, are giving the Blaugrana a reality check and signing Barca’s funeral for the second straight year in the preliminary round.” This year Bayern and Inter Milan were the stumbling blocks, in 2021 there was also no getting past Munich and Benfica.
A look at the statistics underpins the sporting disaster: FC Barcelona did not fire a single shot at the opposing goal. “That’s extraordinary,” said FC Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann, who had replaced Austrian team player Marcel Sabitzer at the beginning of the second half. “We showed our qualities against a strong opponent, that’s what sets us apart. The win was well deserved,” said goalscorer Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting.
Words of comfort and hugs on the pitch were unable to bring a smile to the face of the extremely disappointed Lewandowski, who had claimed a penalty when the score was 0:2.
Frankfurt coach Oliver Glasner is in a good mood and “incredibly proud” of his team after the 2-1 win over Marseille. “Because of the many absences, we had to invest a lot and also improvise. We had players in positions that they didn’t even know existed three months ago.” Now Eintracht have a final at Sporting, where they need to win to qualify for the round of 16. In the first duel, the Portuguese prevailed 3-0 in Germany.
Source: Nachrichten
