Barcelona 0-0 Slavia Prague
Barcelona had to settle for a draw in their Group F Champions League fixture at the Camp Nou after Slavia Prague keeper Ondrej Kolar put in a man-of-the-match performance.
It’s a result which doesn’t settle anything in Group F, but Barca boss Ernesto Valverde will be seriously frustrated, as his team passed up the chance to virtually book their passage to the knockout phase of the competition.
The Catalans were expected to roll over the Czech side with the pre-match SBOBET odds on a home win at 1.24, but Kolar’s heroics won a brave point for the underdogs.
Slavia head coach Jindrich Trpsovsky can be proud of his team to get a result like this against one of the favourites will please him no end. The latest Champions League 2019 betting odds have Barca as second-favourites at odds of 5.95, but they couldn’t get past Kolar and his pals tonight.
Highlights of the game
Kolar knew he’d be one of the busiest men on the pitch tonight and the 6-foot-4 Slavia keeper was in top form to keep the hosts out for 94 minutes. He has been busy throughout this campaign. He had already made 12 saves in the three previous games, and he made another four before the break against Barca.
Nelson Semedo was the first to test Kolar, taking a pass from Gerard Pique and arrowing a shot towards the bottom-right corner, but the keeper made the save at full stretch.
The Blaugrana’s upturn in form has coincided with the return of Lionel Messi, who has scored six goals in his last five games, and he began to take a grip on the game. He’s never short of confidence in his ability and he forced Kolar into another fine save with a speculative effort from distance.
And when Barcelona broke at pace, Arturo Vidal passed to Messi, who let fly from outside the penalty area only to see his shot bounce back off the crossbar with the Slavia keeper beaten for once.
As half-time approached, Vidal and Messi combined again to test Kolar, but the search went on. Clement Lenglet and Jordi Alba also both had shots blocked. Kolar made one more superb save to deny Pique as he directed a header from Ousmane Dembele’s cross towards the top-right corner.
Kolar’s opposite number, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, went in for his half-time cup of tea without breaking a sweat!
The second half began with Messi setting his sights from a free-kick but sent it inches over. And when Dembele put Sergi Roberto through on goal Kolar was there again with his huge frame to make the block.
Antoine Griezmann had been quiet in the opening period, but he looked livelier in the second half and crossed for Messi who saw his effort charged down.
As Barca’s frustration grew, Valverde threw on Ansu Fati and Ivan Rakitic. When Fati put Messi through on 77 minutes, Kolar was there again to make the save. And when Josef Husbauer clattered into Nelson Semedo on the left wing, earning a yellow card in the process, Fati put in the free-kick which Rakitic fired over the bar.
Kolar’s last act was to pick up a yellow card on 93 minutes as he ran the clock down, but he won’t get any criticism from Trpsovsky for that!
Key statistics
Barca weren’t so convincing in their recent 2-1 win in Prague. And try as they might, they struggled to even match that result on their home turf, thanks mainly to that fine performance from the Slavia rearguard and particularly Kolar.
He made six crucial saves, four of them from clear-cut chances, while his defence made four blocks in a defending and goalkeeping master class.
Barca keeper ter Stegen was no busier in the second half than the first, but he’ll be quietly pleased for his opposite number in the goalkeeper’s union.
What’s next?
Ernesto Valverde will keep half an eye on the Champions League 2019 updates, and then he needs to refocus his side on La Liga matters.
Barcelona fell to a shock 3-1 defeat away to Levante and only top the league on goal difference. It’s very congested up there with only three points separating the top seven teams. Next up, the Blaugrana welcome Celta Vigo, who, after four consecutive defeats are in the relegation zone.
No such pressure for Slavia, who are top of the Czech First League by a full 11 points, having won 13 and drawn two of their 15 fixtures so far. Next, they face 11th-placed Teplice, who are sliding down the table having suffered back-to-back defeats.
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