Barcelona Stumbles in Europa League Debut
Barcelona’s Thursday night foray into the Europa League didn’t go as planned. Despite dominating possession and creating numerous scoring opportunities, the Catalan giants were held to a frustrating draw by a resolute Galatasaray side. This marked the end of Barcelona’s remarkable four-game winning streak, although they extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to nine matches.The Blaugrana bombarded the Turkish goal throughout the match. Ferran Torres, Adama Traoré, and Memphis Depay all threatened in the first half, while Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Frenkie de Jong came close after the break, with the latter hitting the woodwork.However, credit must be given to Galatasaray for their defensive resilience. Currently languishing in 12th place in the Turkish Super Lig, the Europa League has become their primary focus for the remainder of the season, representing their best chance to secure European football next year. Their disciplined backline, coupled with a few risky counter-attacks, proved a formidable obstacle for Barcelona.
Despite their dominance, Barcelona couldn’t find a way past the inspired Inaki Pena in the Galatasaray goal. The young goalkeeper,a product of Barcelona’s famed La masia academy,was loaned to Galatasaray in the winter transfer window. He received a warm reception from the Camp Nou faithful before the match and earned their applause with a string of outstanding saves. Pena’s performance, guided by former Barcelona assistant coach Domenec Torrent, was instrumental in securing a valuable clean sheet for the turkish side.
Belgian Contingent Experiences Mixed Fortunes in Europe
Thursday saw several belgian players in action across European competitions. In the Europa League, Eliot Matazo started for Monaco but couldn’t prevent a 2-0 defeat against Braga. Meanwhile, in the Conference League, Loïs Openda and Vitesse lost 1-0 to Roma but remain in contention for qualification.
The Leicester City versus Rennes clash saw Youri Tielemans emerge victorious over Jérémy Doku, with Leicester claiming a 2-0 win.
Former Pro League stars also made their mark.Ruslan Malinovskiy, formerly of Genk, shone for Atalanta with a goal and two assists in their Europa League triumph over Leverkusen. In the Conference League, Peter Olayinka (Slavia Prague, ex-Zulte Waregem) and Cyriel Dessers (Feyenoord, ex-Genk) both found the back of the net.
