Unable to punch the goal of a sensational Iñaki Peña, Barça will have to play their way to the quarter-finals of the Europa League in the hell of Istanbul, after the 0-0 that ended yesterday the visit of the Galatasaray by Domènec Torrent and Jordi Guerrero to the Camp Nou. Barça, in terms of dominance and chances, deserved to win, although their football was a couple of steps below what has been shown in recent weeks and they will have to sweat the ticket to Turkey for the next round.
Xavi announced that he would make rotations and presented an eleven with five new ones with respect to the one he defeated in Elche, convinced that the Ottoman team, at its worst moment in recent years, would not demand more than it had done. ‘last league rival. The clear dominance of Barça from the beginning whistle, was only translated in two occasions in all the first half, both of Memhpis. The first, on a free kick from the front, and the second, a thread on the second post from the left vertex. Iñaki Peña, on loan from Barça to Galatasaray until the end of the season, avoided the Dutchman’s goal.
Barça had started well, with Adama overflowing again and again with Van Aanholt on the right and some deserving appearances between Pedri’s lines, but the pace faded as the break approached.
The Turkish team, which started behind the scenes and tried to overcome the high pressure of the local team with an unusual direct play in the Torrent team, was becoming more and more comfortable with the passing of the minutes. They even progressed to Ter Stegen’s goal on a one-on-one occasion in the final straight of the first half. The clearest, in an interception by the left of Aktürkoglu, that shot high after surpassing with a slalom to Dest and Frenkie de Jong.
Xavi didn’t like the game so well that his men were playing, and he gave way to Piqué, Busquets and Dembélé for Araujo, Nico and Ferran Torres just starting the second half. However, Galatasaray de Torrent, who knows Barça and Xavi well from his time as Guardiola’s assistant, still did not give a single millimeter to his rival.
Barça, however, kept trying insistently. Peña avoided the header from Busquets and a volley from Alba from the front was rubbing his right post, while the Alicante goal shot in the next play a shot too focused by Frenkie de Jong. It was just under half an hour and Galatasaray was starting to suffer. Adama and Dembélé tried it from outside the area. Gomis scored in the only decent counterattack of the Turks but was in an anti-regulatory position.
Ten minutes before the end, Xavi played Luuk de Jong’s card, but Barça’s football could no longer generate more for the Dutch ‘9’ to star in a saving shot. Galatasaray came out of the Camp Nou alive and celebrated it as a victory. The reality is that next Thursday, in the second round in Istanbul, it will be decided which of the two teams will qualify for the quarterfinals of the Europa League.