Iconic club's devastating loss before kickoff

2 years ago 103

The crippled hadn't adjacent kicked disconnected yet and Barcelona had already lost.

Barcelona was eliminated successful the radical signifier of the Champions League for the 2nd consecutive play connected Thursday (AEDT), with the effect of its location crippled against Bayern Munich proving meaningless aft Inter Milan defeated Viktoria Plzen successful the earlier game.

Barcelona needed Inter to driblet points, truthful it began its lucifer astatine Camp Nou already retired of contention arsenic Bayern and Inter secured the apical 2 places successful Group C.

Watch Erling Haaland, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe successful the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, streaming ad-free, unrecorded and exclusive connected Stan Sport

Barcelona volition decorativeness 3rd and gain a Europa League berth.

Bayern had already advanced.

It is yet different humbling setback for the Catalan club, and 1 that volition apt beryllium costlier than past play arsenic the squad went connected a spending spree to boost its squad successful the anticipation of recovering immoderate of that wealth with a heavy tally successful the European competition.

The squad coached by Xavi Hernandez came up abbreviated again contempt the summation of players specified arsenic Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde successful the offseason.

It is the archetypal clip since 1999 that the Catalan nine failed to beforehand to the knockout signifier successful consecutive years, coinciding with the departure of Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain 2 seasons ago.

Last year, Barcelona endured its worst Champions League run successful astir 2 decades, finishing down Bayern and Benfica successful its radical portion going done a dire fiscal concern successful the aftermath of Messi's departure.

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This time, Barcelona didn't adjacent enactment successful contention into the last circular of the radical stage.

After opening with a 5-1 triumph against Plzen astatine home, Barcelona mislaid 2-0 astatine Bayern and 1-0 astatine Inter.

A 3-3 gully astatine location against Inter past meant it needed the Italian squad to stumble successful its last matches.

The location gully with Inter was followed by a 3-1 nonaccomplishment to rival Real Madrid successful the archetypal "clasico" of the play successful the Spanish league.

Barcelona has won 9 of its 11 league matches but trails Madrid by 3 points astatine the top.

Barcelona - who ended up losing 3-0 to Bayern connected Thursday - volition present beryllium consigned to the second-tier Europa League, having mislaid successful the quarterfinals of that contention past play to eventual champion Eintracht Frankfurt.

Barcelona couldn't get a azygous changeable connected people against Bayern and it has won lone 1 of its past 7 Champions League matches.

"This was precise embarrassing," Semra Hunter said connected Stan Sport.

"(Sergio) Busquets was booed arsenic helium came disconnected the parkland and that was a precise bittersweet mode for him to go. They're conscionable not bully capable astatine the moment."

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