UEFA Champions League LIVE: Barcelona held at home by Benfica in a 0-0 encounter in Xavi’s 1st UCL game as manager – Barcelona was held by Benfica to a 0-0 draw at home Tuesday and will likely need a victory at Bayern Munich in its final group game to advance in the Champions League.
A win at the Camp Nou Stadium would have guaranteed Barcelona a spot in the knockout stages for the 18th straight season, but it couldn’t capitalize on its chances in what was Xavi Hernández’s coaching debut in the top European club competition.
We still control our own destiny pic.twitter.com/99pbXUMJTm
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 23, 2021
Defender Ronald Araújo thought he had scored the crucial winner in the 83rd but the goal was disallowed for offside. Benfica had its own chance in stoppage time when Haris Seferovic got past Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen but failed to find the net.
The draw kept the Catalan club in second place in Group E, two points ahead of Benfica, but the Portuguese side has the tiebreaker advantage if it beats already eliminated Dynamo Kyiv at home and Barcelona fails to defeat group winner Bayern in Germany in the final round. Bayern won 2-1 at Dynamo in the other match Tuesday for its fifth straight victory.
Xavi, the former midfielder who helped Barcelona win four Champions League titles as a player, made his coaching debut in a much-needed win against Espanyol in a Spanish league derby at the weekend, a result that ended the team’s four-match winless streak.
🚨 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 🚨#BarçaBenfica pic.twitter.com/59bgaTUSS9
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 23, 2021
Benfica hasn’t made it past the group stage since 2016-17, when it was eliminated by Borussia Dortmund in the last 16.
Barcelona played well and looked in control from the start even though it didn’t create many significant scoring opportunities.
It was Benfica that almost broke the deadlock in the 34th with a powerful header by Roman Yaremchuck that prompted a foot save by Ter Stegen at the goal line. A couple of minutes later, a goal by Nicolás Otamendi didn’t stand because Everton’s free kick cross went out of bounds in the buildup.
Barcelona answered when Yusuf Demir’s curling left-footed shot struck the crossbar in the 42nd, and in the second half Memphis Depay almost opened the scoring in a breakaway in the 57th.
Ousmane Dembélé, coming off an injury, came off the bench in the 66th and quickly set up a header by Frenkie de Jong that prompted a difficult save by Benfica goalkeeper Odisseas Vlachodimos. Dembélé also had a chance in a one-on-one situation in the final minutes but couldn’t get a shot on goal.
Barcelona, in its first season without Lionel Messi in nearly two decades, became in danger of elimination after opening with consecutive 3-0 losses to Bayern and Benfica. It recovered thanks to two straight 1-0 wins over Dynamo.
Benfica’s win over Barcelona in their first match was the first in six decades for the Portuguese side against the Catalan club. Xavi was without Sergi Roberto because of an injury, while Sergiño Dest, who also had been nursing an injury, started on the bench.
Last Meeting – Benfica vs FC Barcelona 3:0
The last meeting between the 2 sides was a shocking result for the Spanish side as Benfica trashed them by 3 goals in which Nunez scored a brace while Rafa Silva was also on the scoresheet. Ronald Koeman who was then the Barcelona manager had faced a humiliating defeat by the Portuguese side in the previous meeting when the Catalan side visited Lisbon.
🔴 🦅 Benfica dominated when they hosted Barcelona in September 👊
What will happen tonight? 🤔 #UCL pic.twitter.com/EssjKwxgnO
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 23, 2021
UEFA Champions League LIVE: Barcelona held at home by Benfica in a 0-0 encounter in Xavi’s 1st UCL game as manager
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