Mishaps, bad luck and mishaps for FC Barcelona in the first half at Stamford Bridge. The Spanish visitors beat themselves against Chelsea.
FC Barcelona and Chelsea FC are in 11th and 12th place in the table with seven points before kick-off in London. The visitors get off to the better start. In the 6th minute, Lamine Yamal set up team-mate Ferran Torres, who had a free run and shot the ball just wide right from seven meters. Even though the striker's xG value is officially given as 0.57, it was more like one hundred percent.
In the 27th minute, things got even worse for the Catalans: After a short corner, Enzo Fernández quickly played the ball to Marc Cucurella, who immediately moved into the center and sent the ball into the back of the net. There, Pedro Neto's heel trick fails to beat Torres' leg, but Jules Koundé loses his bearings on the line and sends the ball into his own net via Torres.
In the 32nd minute, Barça captain Ronald Araujo complains to the referee and receives a caution. 12 minutes later, the Uruguayan was even sent off with a yellow card after a rude foul on Cucurella.
Streller: "How can you go into a duel like that?"
"Araujo already has a lot of experience. You know, you've already been cautioned. How can you go into a duel like that?", wondered blue Sport expert Marco Streller in the studio. Streller is currently not a fan of the 26-year-old: "He's not an undisputed regular, even though he's captain. He often comes off the bench."
Incidentally, this is the first time that FC Barcelona have conceded an own goal and been sent off in a Champions League match.
Streller's conclusion: "Araujo has done the team a disservice. It will be very difficult for Barcelona," he said ahead of the second half. Unlucky Ferran Torres is no longer involved after the break, having to make way for Marcus Rashford. The decimated visitors did indeed suffer at Stamford Bridge and ended up conceding a bitter 3-0 defeat - Estêvão (55) and Liam Delap (75) added to the Blues' tally.
While Enzo Maresca's team can continue to play for a place in the top eight, Barça are currently threatened with a detour via the knockout round.
