Barcelona’s defender Gerard Pique celebrates after scoring during the UEFA Champions League match against APOEL at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Wednesday. (AFP)
An under-strength Barcelona got their Champions League campaign off to a solid if unspectacular start when Gerard Pique’s header secured a laboured 1-0 win at home to APOEL in their Group F opener on Wednesday.
Barca predictably dominated their Cypriot visitors at the Nou Camp and, after waves of attacks, eventually found a breakthrough when Pique headed Lionel Messi’s free kick into the bottom corner of the net in the 28th minute.
APOEL defended solidly and did well to thwart Barca’s formidable strike force featuring four-times World Player of the Year Messi and Brazil international Neymar while occasionally threatening the home goal.
Messi came close to scoring when he stung APOEL goalkeeper Urko Pardo’s fingers with a rasping strike from Neymar’s layoff five minutes before the break and was denied by a superb last-ditch block by Mario Sergio at the death. In a frantic finish to an otherwise dull affair, APOEL had their best opening of the match moments later and Barca goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen had to be alert to palm away Gustavo Manduca’s powerful effort.
“We were made to suffer,” Barca playmaker and captain Xavi, equalling the record of 142 Champions League appearances held by former Real Madrid striker Raul, told Spanish broadcaster Canal Plus. “We couldn’t find the usual fluidity in our play and it was difficult for us. They played very well defensively,” added the decorated former Spain international. When things aren’t going your way and you keep missing chances your opponents grow in confidence and in the end it was a difficult game. But we got the three points that we needed.”
ACADEMY PRODUCTS
Last term’s exit to Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals was the first time Barca had failed to make the semi-finals since 2006-07 and coach Gerardo Martino departed after one season in charge.
Under new coach Luis Enrique, a former Barca and Spain midfielder, the Catalan giants have made an impressive start with three wins in three La Liga games and should have little trouble advancing from a Champions League group that also includes Paris St Germain and Ajax Amsterdam.
Ajax came from a goal down to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to PSG in their group opener on Wednesday.
Luis Enrique selected a youthful-looking side for the APOEL game, with 19-year-old academy products, forward Munir el Haddadi and midfielder Sergi Samper, making their Champions League debuts.
Munir made little impact before making way for another Barca academy graduate, Sandro Ramirez, in the 68th minute while Samper had a good game in the central holding role normally occupied by the rested Sergio Busquets.
APOEL are competing in the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition for a third time and reached the quarter-finals on their last appearance in 2011-12.
“It was a good game but it would have been better with a draw,” midfielder Stathis Aloneftis said on UEFA.com.
“We all know Barcelona. We wanted at least a draw but it wasn’t to be, so now we look ahead,” he added.
“We had two or three chances to score and had we been more clinical in front of goal and a bit more calm then we could have done some damage here tonight.”
Barca’s next European outing is at PSG on September 30, when APOEL host Ajax.