The match between Barcelona and Viktoria Plzen was nothing short of an offensive bonanza. Despite having nothing to play for, both teams gave it their all and produced an exciting 90 minutes of football.
Before Ferran Torres doubled the lead late in the first half, Marcos Alonso scored the game's opening goal. Tomas Chory's penalty gave the hosts a chance to get one back, but Torres came through once more to give his team the advantage. The Plzen forward would score once more, but Pablo Torre's late goal was sufficient to end the game.
The Catalans were able to learn a lot from their final UCL match of the season. Three key lessons from the Blaugranas' victory over Michal Bilek's team are provided by Barça Sphere.
1. FERRAN'S GOT IT STILL
Because the Pole has given so much of himself to the Blaugranas this season, Xavi Hernandez made the decision to rest Robert Lewandowski for the journey to the Czech Republic. Naturally, everyone was watching the manager to see how he set up his team without the striker.
In the end, the attack was chosen by the attacking trio of Ferran Torres, Ansu Fati, and Raphinha. The former Manchester City player was the most impressive of the three.
The Spaniard extended Barcelona's advantage in the 44th minute with a beautiful half-volley that flew past the goalie of the visitors. Torres' finish was by no means simple, despite the fact that Jordi Alba deserves praise for his exquisite cross.
In the 54th minute, he scored a beautiful goal to add to his score sheet once more. The teenage player used a good dribble to sprint into the Plzen box before combining with Raphinha for a one-two. He hammered the ball into the bottom-right corner after receiving it in front of the net.
On the night, both of his shots that were on goal were successful. On Tuesday, he also made two crucial passes, set up a significant opportunity, and had a successful dribble.
2. INAKI PENA HAS POTENTIAL
This season, Marc Andre ter Stegen has been fantastic for Barcelona. In 12 league appearances, he has 10 clean sheets, and his reliable play has eliminated any chance of Inaki Pena receiving a start.
On Tuesday, Xavi finally gave the La Masia alum a start, and he did not dissapoint. The rookie goalkeeper made a number of stops to keep his team in the game and preserve Barcelona's advantage on a night when Viktoria Plzen plagued their defense for a good portion of the game.
Against the Czech Republic-based team, Pena made six saves, including three from close range. Additionally, he concluded the game with one high claim and a pass accuracy that was almost 95%.
Despite the fact that he allowed two goals, one must keep in mind that the first was a penalty. It would be unreasonable to hold Pena responsible for the second goal, which also resulted from a thundering header.
3. ENDING ON A HIGH NOTE
Barcelona has been having difficulty for years in the UEFA Champions League. When the Catalans failed to advance out of their group last year, they reached a new low after years of losing in away games of the knockout stages.
They were anticipated to advance significantly further in the European competition this time around with a strengthened and revitalized squad. But after failing to advance out of their group for the second consecutive season, Xavi's team is once again staring at the Europa League.
Barcelona's UCL campaign this year was in no way deserving of qualification. They suffered two losses to Bayern Munich and were unable to defeat even Inter Milan during the course of two games. Their 1-0 loss at San Siro ultimately came back to haunt them.
There was a sense that a victory over Viktoria would do the team's confidence the world of good, even though their destiny was already set before the game even started in Plzen. At Stadion Mesta Plzen, exactly that happened.
Despite having an inferior team, the visitors scored four goals. Additionally, a number of young people, including Pablo Torre, Inaki Pena, and Marc Casado, seized the chance to make their mark.
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