Maybe it was not meant to be. Barcelona created an opportunity truck but failed miserably in what used to be great. On the night of Suarez, and also below the average of Dembélé and Messi, the Catalans did not leave 0-0 with Lyon in the first leg of the last 16 of the Champions League, even having finished 25 times. The return, at the Camp Nou, takes place in three weeks. And the weight of the away goal leaves the confrontation alive
The numbers are divided into 11 kicks out, five on the target and nine blocked. Out the odds did not end in conclusion. We can not call it a massacre on the scoreboard, but Lyon, on the other hand, only bothered in the first half, when Terrier took a two-shot danger – one of them demanded Ter Stegen’s defense and a little help from the crossbar. The French team finished the game with five finals – five times less than Barça. There were several times that Messi advanced with spaces, but his companions did not help. Or when the Argentine ace himself also missed.
However, we cannot ignore the fact that Nabil Fekir played a decisive role in Lyon. He could have scored in one chance and was the French side’s most dangerous player.
Throughout the game, Suárez reached the incredible 24-hour mark without swinging the nets away from home in the Champions League. The last goal was against Roma, for the group stage of the 2015/16 season – to give you an idea, Neymar was still playing for Barca. There are 16 complete games or 1,440 minutes of fasting. Today’s evening summed up his moment in the Champions League.
Lyon and Barcelona turn their attention to the domestic competitions until the return, scheduled for March 13, at the Camp Nou. The French side will face Monaco, Toulouse, and Strasbourg by Ligue 1, as well as Caen by the French Cup. Catalans will have hard commitments against Sevilla, Real Madrid, Girona and Rayo Vallecano for Spanish, as well as another classic at the Santiago Bernabéu for the return of the semifinal of the King’s Cup.