Barca Menang Tipis 1-0 dari Apoel
Pique Heads Home Messi`s Free-kick as Survive from Cyprus Champions
Editor : Ismail Gani
Translator : Novita Cahyadi
Barcelona (B2B) - Barca menang tipis 1-0 atas Apoel di laga Grup F Liga Champions, di Camp Nou berkat gol Pique (28´), Kamis, (18/9), dini hari WIB.
Barcelona mengontrol permainan sejak awal pertandingan. Samper mencoba bermain dengan Munir, tetapi kedua pemuda itu melihat umpan merka mampu dipatahkan.
Neymar dan Messi mencoba bermain satu-dua di menit 14, tetapi tendangannya masih melebar, seperti dilansir espnfc.com.
Menit 28 Pique membuat Barcelona memimpin. Pemain internasional Spanyol ini menanduk tendangan bebas Messi.
Hingga babak pertama usai, tim tuan rumah memimpin dengan satu gol berkat sundulan Pique. Barcelona mendominasi permainan dengan Ter Stegen belum mendapat ujian berarti.
Babak kedua dimulai ketika Munir menantang Carlao di kotak pinalti, tetapi gagal mencetak gol.
Xavi mencoba memberi umpan ke Neymar, tetapi Mario Sergio membuat tandukan penting untuk menggagalkan upaya serangan pemain Brasil itu.
Namun, hingga babak usai, Barcelona tetap unggul 1-0 atas Apoel.
Barcelona menguasai 72% pertandigan, sementara Apoel 28%. Dengan Barca melakukan tendangan ke arah gawang sebanyak enam kali, Apoel sekali.
Barcelona - Barcelona opened their Champions League campaign with victory over Apoel Nicosia, although the 1-0 result will have done little to worry any of their Group F rivals.
The Primera Division side wasted chance after chance at the Nou Camp, with Gerard Pique´s first-half header all that separated the two sides in the end.
And with a trip to French champions Paris Saint-Germain next up for Barca, Luis Enrique´s men will need to perform much better if they are to maintain their proud record in the competition.
Xavi´s appearance in the starting line-up saw the midfielder equal the all-time record for Champions League appearances, matching former Real Madrid striker Raul on 142.
Yet the Nou Camp seemed to hold little fear for Apoel at the start, and they could have gone ahead after just three minutes but Efstathios Aloneftis´ inviting cross was headed over the bar by Tomas De Vincenti.
It was 10 minutes before the Barca fans saw something to excite them and it was Lionel Messi who provided the moment, with a curling free-kick which had to be tipped round the post at full stretch by Rafael Urko.
That chance settled any lingering nerves and the hosts were soon in control, with Urko called into action once more after 19 minutes to deal with a header from forward Munir El Haddadi.
Neymar, making his first start of the season, then took on and beat two defenders but was unable to keep his 20-yard drive on target.
