Lamine Yamal scored a spectacular goal as Barcelona rallied from behind to draw against Club Brugge in a memorable Champions League match.
The hosts thought they had won the game in injury time when Romeo Vermant snuck in on Wojciech Szczesny and scored into an empty net, but the goal was disallowed by the video assistant referee due to a foul.
Club Brugge took the lead in the sixth minute when Carlos Forbs ran down the right and squared the ball for Nicolo Tresoldi to score.
However, less than two minutes later, Barcelona equalized with Ferran Torres’ first-time finish from Fermin Lopez’s cross.
Fermin then curled a shot off the post, marking the first of three times Barca would strike the woodwork.
And then they were behind again when Brugge passed through their high line too easily, and Christos Tzolis fed Forbs, who finished inside the box.
Barcelona struck the crossbar twice, first through Jules Kounde and then through Eric Garcia’s effort from at least 30 yards away.
And then Yamal struck, beating two defenders with incredible skill before playing a one-two with Dani Olmo and beating another man before slotting in.
Forbs, who spent last season on loan at Wolves, squandered a golden opportunity but made amends moments later by latching onto Hans Vanaken’s through ball and clipping a shot past Szczesny.
Brugge believed they had a chance to go up 4-2 when Anthony Taylor awarded a penalty for an Alex Balde tackle on Forbs, but the decision was reversed by the video assistant referee.
And Barcelona took advantage of the break when Yamal’s cross was glanced into his own goal by the unfortunate Tzolis.
But, right at the end, Szczesny, who had dawdled on the ball, was extremely fortunate when VAR bailed him out after surrendering the ball to Vermant.
Both teams will consider themselves unlucky to have only earned a point at the end of an outstanding game.
Club Brugge has had lots of big days in Europe under manager Nicky Hayen, and this will have been right up there with them—in a game where they would definitely have taken a draw before kickoff.
However, when you go ahead three times, are awarded a penalty, and believe you have won the game right at the finish, there will be genuine frustration.
Vermeer undoubtedly couldn’t believe his luck when he slid in and stole the ball from the Barcelona goalkeeper, but Anthony Taylor, after consulting VAR, determined that the forward had tripped Szczesny with his tackle before snatching the ball.
Forbs scored two goals, taking advantage of Barcelona’s high defensive line with his blistering pace. That is the Forbs who did not score for Wolves during his loan stay from Ajax last season, before joining Club Brugge this summer.
“It was a magical night,” said the 21-year-old Portuguese, who lived in England as a child.
“We deserved to win. We knew they keep a high line. The game plan was good from the coaching staff.
“My first two goals in the Champions League against Barcelona—I can’t complain or ask for much more. I definitely should have scored [another]. Maybe next time.”
Barcelona, on the other hand, will most likely believe that after battling back three times and striking the woodwork three times, they could have won.
Yamal’s spectacular goal, described by former Republic of Ireland midfielder Andy Townsend as like witnessing a young Lionel Messi, was unquestionably the game’s highlight.
Barcelona manager Hansi Flick was critical of his team and said, “It was too easy to score goals against us today. We had no pressure on the ball.
“We have to work on that and make it better. We had a lot of possession, but you don’t win with ball possession. We need more confidence in our game. It’s November. It’s a long way to the end of May.”
However, a draw was perhaps a fair result, considering both teams had the same predicted goal total of 2.14.
The result gives Barcelona seven points and Club Brugge four points from four games.
