DBasia.news – Barcelona’s chance to advance to the knockout phase of the 2022-2023 Champions League became slim after a draw against Inter Milan. Xavi Hernandez, as a coach, has also surrendered.
In the match which took place at Camp Nou, Thursday (13/10, Barcelona were held to a draw by Inter with a score of 3-3. This result has made the Blaugrana stuck in third place in Group C with two games remaining.
The duel against Inter is indeed a must-win match for Barcelona. Robert Lewandowski and his team also appeared aggressive to make it happen.
Barcelona managed to break the deadlock first through Ousmane Dembele’s flick towards the end of the first half. However, the host’s performance declined drastically in the second half.
Inter were surprisingly able to turn the tables through goals from Nicolo Barella (50′) and Lautaro Martinez (63′). Even so, Lewandowski’s shot made the position equal in the 82nd minute.
In the remaining time, Barcelona tried hard to score the winning goal. Unfortunately, it was Inter who managed to do so one minute before normal time ended through Robin Gosens kick.
Barcelona ultimately avoided defeat after Lewandowski’s header in injury time forced the score to 3-3 to close the game. But the result was not enough for Xavi.
“I’m disappointed, sad, frustrated and angry. But I have to criticize myself because we don’t deserve to continue in the Champions League,” Xavi said after the game.
“It hurts me, but it’s the truth.”
Barcelona’s opportunity to qualify for the round of 16 is actually not completely closed. They have to wipe out the remaining two games while hoping Inter would slip.
The problem is, Barcelona will still face Bayern Munich, who is now at the top of the standings. Defeating the German representative is certainly a difficult job to do.
“I apologize to the fans because we made a mistake. We have set our minds not to fail but we have failed,” he added.
“I want to tell the fans that we will work to turn this situation around and win the title.”