Barcelona - NouCamp Faithful

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 1 - 2 Granada : Barcelona miss chance to top La Liga with loss

Granada handed Barcelona a shocking defeat at the Camp Nou on Thursday night, stopping the La Liga holders from returning to the top of the table for the first time since last June.

Lionel Messi fired Barca in front midway through the first half, beating Granada keeper Aaron Escandell at his far post after Antoine Griezmann played the Argentine in on goal with a clever turn and pass.

Granada drew level against the run of play shortly after the hour mark when Darwin Machís pounced on a deflected through ball and smashed a shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

In the aftermath of the goal, Barca boss Ronald Koeman was shown a straight red card for something he said to the officials and was forced to leave the dugout for the remainder of the match.

Jorge Molina headed the visitors into a shock lead as full-time approached, redirecting a cross from Luis Suarez past Ter Stegen to leave Barcelona to chase an equaliser for the last 10 minutes of the match.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Valencia 2 - 3 Barcelona : Lionel Messi brace gives Barcelona big comeback win

Barcelona rode a trio of second-half goals to a 3-2 win over Valencia in La Liga on Sunday night to keep title hopes alive for Ronald Koeman's team.

A 50th minute strike from Valencia's Gabriel looked to have Barca on the ropes as they tried to keep pace with leaders Atletico Madrid, but a brace from Lionel Messi either side of an Antoine Griezmann goal earned Barca all three points.

Carlos Soler scored a brilliant goal for Valencia from outside the area as full-time approached, but Barcelona were able to see out the victory.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 0 - 0 Atletico Madrid : Barcelona, Atletico Madrid draw in La Liga title showdown

Atletico Madrid survived the challenge of Barcelona as the two sides played out a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou in a crucial match in the race for the La Liga title.

Diego Simeone will be frustrated that his team walked away with just a point as they dominated for large swathes of the game.

They had some of the best chances of the first half with Luis Suarez and Yannick Carrasco coming close but neither side could find the net.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Levante 3 - 3 Barcelona : Barcelona's La Liga hopes suffer blow with draw

Barcelona twice threw away the lead to draw 3-3 at Levante on Tuesday in a potentially fatal blow to their chances of winning the La Liga title.

The draw took Barca into second place in the standings on 76 points, one behind leaders Atletico Madrid and one ahead of third-placed Real Madrid, who both have a game in hand.

Lionel Messi put a dominant Barca in front after 26 minutes and then played a part in Pedri tapping in their second goal in the 34th after a sweeping team move.

Levante got a foothold in the game with a header from Gonzalo Melero in the 57th and talismanic forward Jose Luis Morales equalised three minutes later.

Ousmane Dembele restored Barca's lead in the 64th and looked to have sent Ronald Koeman's side provisionally top of the standings but Levante came back at them and equalised again when striker Sergio Leon netted at the near post in the 83rd.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 1 - 2 Celta Vigo : Barcelona's La Liga hopes end in shock defeat

Barcelona's hopes of winning La Liga ended as they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Celta Vigo on Sunday.

That result, coupled with Real Madrid's 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid's 2-1 win over Osasuna, means Barca fall seven points off top with a game to play.

Lionel Messi opened the scoring on 28 minutes with a well-placed header from Sergio Busquets' pinpoint pass. That strike means Messi has scored more than 30 league goals in a season for the ninth time in his career.

But Celta were level 10 minutes later through Santi Mina, who scored from the visitors' first effort on goal.

Barca were reduced to 10 men late on when Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card but the real drama was still to come as Mina scored in the 89th minute to secure an unlikely victory for Celta.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Eibar 0 - 1 Barcelona : Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann nets stunner in win over Eibar

Barcelona finished the season with a 1-0 win over already relegated Eibar as Antoine Griezmann scored the only goal of the game at the Ipurua Municipal Stadium on Saturday.

La Liga's top scorer Lionel Messi had been allowed to miss the match in order to rest ahead of the Copa America with the shock home defeat to Celta Vigo the previous weekend ending Barca's title hopes.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 4 - 0 Gimnastic de Tarragona : Barcelona beat Gimnastic de Tarragona on Rey Manaj hat trick

Rey Manaj starred with a hat trick as Barcelona kicked off preseason with a 4-0 win against 10-man Gimnastic de Tarragona on Wednesday.

"B team" striker Manaj, an Albania international, fired home the opener on the hour mark after Alex Quintanilla had been shown a red card for a late challenge on Riqui Puig before the break.

Alex Collado added Barca's second with five minutes to go, with Manaj then scoring his second with his chest from close range before completing his treble from the penalty spot.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Barcelona 3 - 1 Girona : Memphis Depay debuts, scores in Barcelona's warm-up win over Girona

Barcelona won their second preseason match as summer signing Memphis Depay scored on his debut in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Girona at the Estadi Johan Cruyff.

Three of the four goals came from penalties, with Gerard Pique opening the scoring from the spot in the 21st minute.

Rey Manaj made it 2-0 three minutes later, following up his midweek hat-trick against Gimnastic de Tarragona with a finish from close range.

Girona pulled one back just before halftime when Samu Saiz scored a penalty before Memphis added Barca's third, also from the spot, late on.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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VfB Stuttgart 0 - 3 Barcelona : Barcelona's Memphis Depay scores again in Barcelona win over Stuttgart

Memphis Depay made it two goals in two games for Barcelona as the La Liga side beat VfB Stuttgart 3-0 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena on Saturday.

Barca blew their German opposition away with a blistering first-half display, with Memphis opening the scoring before Yusuf Demir added the second.

Substitute Riqui Puig netted the third after the break as Ronald Koeman's side made it three wins from three preseason friendlies.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

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FC Salzburg 2 - 1 Barcelona : U.S. international Aaronson nets late winner for Salzburg

United States international Brenden Aaronson struck a late winner as FC Salzburg beat Barcelona 2-1 at the Red Bull Arena in an entertaining preseason friendly on Wednesday.

Aaronson, who joined Salzburg from the Philadelphia Union in January, turned home from close range in the last minute after Chukwubuike Adamu had hit the post.

Martin Braithwaite's fortunate goal five minutes earlier looked to have rescued a draw for Barca following Luka Sucic's deflected opener just before the break.

Salzburg's winning margin might have been greater if not for a string of glaring misses from Switzerland forward Noah Okafor in the first half.

This was Barca's fourth game of preseason and the first they have failed to win. They're still without Lionel Messi, who's not yet signed his new deal with the Catalan club and remains a free agent.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[escobar43535]

So do you guys really think Messi is leaving Barca or is this Barca's ploy to force La Liga's hand?

The way i see it, no doubt Barca still need Messi but I think La Liga also need Messi as well.

[lacoruna69]

Tearful Lionel Messi bids goodbye to Barcelona, sources say PSG deal agreed



A tearful Lionel Messi has said his next move is not confirmed at an emotional farewell news conference on Sunday, but ESPN sources say a deal with Paris Saint-Germain has already been agreed.

Messi, who has been a free agent since his contract expired at Camp Nou on June 30, had maintained his silence since Barca announced on Thursday that he will not sign new terms because of financial problems.

Sources added that Messi is expected to travel to Paris on Sunday before completing a medical in the coming days and signing a two-year deal with the option for a third season. He could be presented at an event at the Eiffel Tower in the coming days.

Asked about the prospect of joining a rival, he added: "There is no doubt that I will go to a team that will compete with Barca. I didn't want to leave, but I have to. And I want to keep winning. That's my mentality. I want to win."


Lionel Messi's trophy haul won during his time as a Barcelona player are displayed during a news conference at the Camp Nou.

(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)

[lacoruna69]

Originally Posted by escobar43535

So do you guys really think Messi is leaving Barca or is this Barca's ploy to force La Liga's hand?

The way i see it, no doubt Barca still need Messi but I think La Liga also need Messi as well.

To be frank, doesn't matter whether he stay or leave. Life goes on.

If the salary offered is not up to his expectation, he has every right to join another club.

[escobar43535]

Agree no one is bigger than the club.

But Messi is a very special player, a once in a generation player, who is very important both on and off the field.

Like I said above, it is not only Barca's loss but La Liga's loss as well. That is how big and special a player Messi is notwithstanding he is entering the twilight of his career. Kind of like football's equivalent to Michael Jordan and the NBA.

Also I don't think Messi wanted to go, neither did he ever dream that one day he would be playing in the same team as Ramos(ditto for Sergio). Barca's unfortunate dire financial predicament has made it inevitable though.

Anyway what is done is done and it really looks like Barca is in deep financial problems. From what I have read Barca has yet to even register Aguero and Depay. Their huge wage bill for the likes of say Griezmann, Dembele and Countinho is killing them. Got to get these guys off the books quickly but it is going to be very difficult and made more completed by Covid.

Going to be very interesting to see how Barca sought out this financial mess and go through the coming new season.

Originally Posted by lacoruna69

To be frank, doesn't matter whether he stay or leave. Life goes on.

If the salary offered is not up to his expectation, he has every right to join another club.

[lacoruna69]

Lionel Messi signs with PSG, to wear No. 30 after Barcelona exit

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Lionel Messi after the Argentina captain's contract at Barcelona expired earlier this summer.

Messi has signed a two-year contract with the Ligue 1 side, with the option of extending for a further year. Sources told ESPN that Messi is expected to earn between €30-35 million ($35-41 million) net a year.

Messi will wear No. 30 with PSG, which was his first number at Barcelona. Neymar, now reunited with his ex-Barca teammate, had offered the No. 10 but Messi refused.

Lionel Messi spoke at his first news conference as a Paris Saint-Germain player on Wednesday and said after a "very tough" end to his Barcelona career, his target is to win the Champions League again.



(excerpt from ESPN Soccernet)