November 03, (THEWILL) – Barcelona rose into second place in Group E with a much-needed but nervy victory at Dynamo Kyiv, with Ansu Fati scoring the winner in his first Champions League start in almost a year.
Interim manager Sergi Barjuan was without a number of players, notably Sergio Aguero and Pedri, but Fati’s inclusion, who had not played since the El Clasico defeat, was a huge benefit.
With barely 20 minutes remaining in his 50th appearance for the club, the 19-year-old proved his worth, hammering a first-time shot into the roof of Heorhiy Bushchan’s net.
Barcelona got off to a good start, and Memphis Depay might have given them the lead in the fourth minute if it had not been for a critical block by Illyan Zabarnyi. However, as the half went, the hosts gained confidence and became a threat on the counter-attack.
Mykolo Shaparenko, who twice missed the target from promising positions, and Carlos De Pena, whose first-time shot was stopped by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen’s foot, had the best chances for them.
As the teams headed into the halftime break equal, Barcelona teenager Nico Gonzalez came close to scoring his first goal in the league, but was left cursing his luck after a goal-bound header struck his teammate Depay.
After the restart, Dynamo Kyiv’s Oleksandr Karavayev came close with a curler, and the hosts were made to pay for their wastefulness.
Fati broke the deadlock with his side’s first attempt on target just moments after the referee overturned a penalty ruling based on a peek at the pitch-side monitor, and the relief on the visitors’ bench was evident.
Barcelona’s goalkeeper Ter Stegen was still needed, as he denied Viktor Tsygankov, and Benjamin Verbic could only score off the rebound, as the Spanish giants held on.
Barcelona is now two points ahead of Benfica, who fell 5-2 against Bayern Munich, while Dynamo Kyiv is still in last place with just one point.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
