He FC Barcelona defeated Porto (2-1) to stamp your ticket at Round of 16 of the Champions League, but there is a strange fact in the Barça lineup that has not happened for more than 21 years in the top continental competition. The technician Xavi Hernandez opted for an eleven consisting of Iñaki Peña, Araujo, Koundé, Iñigo Martínez, Cancelo, Pedri, De Jong, Gündogan, Raphinha, Lewandowski and Joao Félix, leaving no Catalan players among the starters. In the second part they entered bucket and Lamine Yamalwhile Sergi Roberto and Oriol Romeu They had no minutes and saw victory from the bench.
This anecdotal fact has not happened since Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid in 2001-02 season. In that match at Camp Nou, with Charlie Rexach as a coach, they started Bonano, Reiziger, Abelardo, Frank de Boer, Motta, Rochemback, Cocu, Luis Enrique, Overmars, Kluivert and Saviola. In the second half he played Gabriel as the only Catalan in that match, which ended in a white victory (0-2).
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
