Crvena Zvezda vs Barcelona, ​​Champions League: Final score 2-5, Barça extend winning run with strong away win

Barcelona have won their third game in a row in the league stage and will finish 4th in the top 8 of the Champions League standings for the first time this season thanks to a comfortable 5-2 win away to Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade on Wednesday night. Barça played a mature game to handle one of the toughest atmospheres in world football and secure three more points in Europe, and Hansi Flick’s men have now won seven matches in a row in all competitions.

FIRST SEMESTER

Barça got things off to a good start, dominating the ball and creating early chances with good passing and movement. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha wasted a few early chances and Iñigo Martínez gave it Blaugrana the lead 13 minutes in with a header from a free kick to put the visitors in front.

Red Star reacted well to going behind and used the energy from the crowd to propel them forward in pursuit of an equaliser. They struggled to find a way to beat Barça’s offside trap, but Silas finally stayed in and lobbed Iñaki Peña close to the half-hour mark to tie things up and send Maracana in madness.

The hosts fell back to try and avoid conceding a second before the end of the half as Barça continued to play some good stuff, but it looked like the visitors wouldn’t find the net again until the 43rd minute when Raphinha fired over a rocket against the post and Robert Lewandowski was quickest to the rebound and scored an easy tap-in to put the away side back in front.

The half-time whistle ended a fun period dominated by Barça, but Red Star were very much alive and the second half promised to be quite entertaining.

SECOND SEMESTER

Barça made an even better start to the final period, with a quicker tempo in their passing and more intensity without the ball, and the good work was enough to seal the victory: two perfectly formed attacks down the right flank ended with two assists by Jules Konde, the first for another Lewandowski tap-in and the second to find Raphinha, who scored a magnificent goal to make it 4-1 shortly before the hour mark.

Then came a scary moment for Barça when Pau Cubarsí was kicked in the head by Red Star captain Uros Spajic and his teammates looked quite desperate for a moment, but the young centre-back was able to get off on his own when he was switched in. by Sergi Domínguez with about 20 minutes remaining.

The Blaugrana had secured the win and looked set to stay solid at the back and perhaps add more goals on the counter as the hosts had more of the possession and tried to find a second to ignite an unlikely comeback. They couldn’t create any chances and conceded a fifth instead as Kounde completed his hat-trick of assists by finding Fermín López in the box for a fine, toe-tapping finish to quadruple Barça’s lead.

Red Star pulled one back with 10 minutes left thanks to a superb curling effort from Felicio Milson, but that was all the hosts would get in the dying seconds as the final whistle came to confirm Barça’s victory by three goals.

This was a solid, mature performance to handle the hostile atmosphere and get the win on the road. Barça stepped on the gas when they needed to and the fact that they are now able to control and win games without having to play at 100% intensity for 90 minutes is a good development as Flick’s side continue to to develop.

Well done, boys!

Crvena Zvezda: Ilic; Seol, Djiga, Spajic, Rodic (Milson 59′); Kanga (Gomes 72′); Silas (Katai 83′), Krunic, Elsnik, Maksimovic (Ilic 72′); Ndiaye (Prutsev 83′)

Goal: Silas (27′), Milson (83′)

Barcelona: Peña; Konde, Cubarsí (Domínguez 67′), Iñigo, Martín; De Jong (Gavi 68′), Casadó; Yamal, Pedri (Olmo 58′), Raphinha (Fermín 58′); Lewandowski (Víctor 78′)

Goal: Iñigo (13′), Lewandowski (43′, 53′), Raphinha (55′), Fermín (76′)