Barcelona 5 Young Boys 0: Raphinha revitalised and Lewandowski ...

7 days ago

The Athletic

Barcelona 5 Young Boys 0 Raphinha revitalised and Lewandowski

Our writers analyse the key moments and talking points from Barcelona's emphatic victory over Young Boys in the Champions League

Barcelona thrashed Young Boys 5-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday night to pick up their first win in the competition this season.

A brace from Robert Lewandowski and goals from Raphinha and Inigo Martinez put Hansi Flick’s side 4-0 up before the 60-minute mark, and a late own goal made it 5-0 to the Catalans.

Here, The Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan, Anantaajith Raghuraman and Laia Cervelló Herrero analyse and evaluate the key talking points from the match.

Barca’s brilliant opener

The first goal was nicely worked as Barcelona zipped the ball around too fast for the Young Boys defence to react, with impressive movement and understanding between their front four.

Marc Casado fed a pass forward between the Young Boys’ lines to Ferran Torres, who had come in off his left-wing starting role to pick up a central position. Torres knocked a square pass first time to find right-sided attacker Lamine Yamal, who flicked it into the path of Raphinha, raiding into the penalty area from his No 10 support striker role.

The pass was perfectly weighted for the Brazilian to fire in a first time cross-shot across Young Boys goalkeeper Marvin Keller. Centre-forward Lewandowski stayed onside and arrived perfectly at the back post for a first-time tap the ball into the gaping net.

Lewandowski finishes off the move to make it 1-0 (JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

Five players, five touches of the ball, and 1-0 to Barcelona with just eight minutes played.

Dermot Corrigan

Raphinha revitalised under Flick

Raphinha started and finished the move for Barcelona’s second goal — the latest sign that he has begun the season on fire.

After the Brazilian came short to receive a corner from Yamal, the ball was worked via Jules Kounde to Pedri — who turned inside his marker and fired off a shot that was blocked.

Arriving on the scene was Raphinha, who had been out wide at the corner, but was now in the right place six yards out to hammer home the loose ball for 2-0.

That made it six goals and four assists in just 10 games this season. He looks a completely different player in this campaign, having been so often in and out of the team last season under previous coach Xavi, who never seemed to fully trust him.

Raphinha proved too much for Young Boys to handle (JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

New manager Flick has revitalised the 27-year-old and he is now bursting with energy and confidence. Raphinha also wore the armband against Young Boys, having been voted one of the club’s captains by the dressing room during the summer (ahead of team-mates Pedri and Lewandowski).

Just over two years after arriving for €60million (£50m; $66.4m) from Leeds United, Raphinha finally looks like a real Barca player.

Dermot Corrigan

Lewandowski has very much still got it

Heading into the match on Tuesday, Lewandowski had scored seven goals in nine games in all competitions this season.

The 36-year-old Pole extended his good form by scoring twice against Young Boys to move into double figures in the Champions League for Barcelona, becoming only the second player ever to score 10 or more goals in the competition for three different clubs after Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus).

Both goals were also testament to the poaching instinct that Lewandowski has perfected during his career. He timed his run perfectly to turn in Raphinha’s cross at the far post in the first half before getting himself ahead of his marker to nod home Martinez’s header across goal just six minutes after the break. Granted, the second finish wasn’t perfect as his header bobbled in off his foot, but it counts and that’s all matters.

Lewandowski’s first goal also meant he matched another Ronaldo feat by becoming the second player after the Portuguese to score 50 Champions League goals after turning 30 years old, though he is some distance behind the Portuguese’s total of 68.

Anantaajith Raghuraman

Martinez rewarded for his persistence

Inigo Martinez scored his first goal for Barcelona (to make it 3-0) with a header after an excellent cross from Pedri and he also assisted Lewandowski for the team’s fourth goal.

He has been rewarded for his perseverance; Martinez has played in every game except the one Barcelona lost against Osasuna in Pamplona (4-2).

The centre-back was one of the players who at certain points in the summer looked like he might not be registered due to financial fair play rules. However, he was and the club like his attitude, ability and presence in the dressing room.

Martinez on the ball (Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Despite being one of the few players who performed well last season, Martinez played a secondary role under former manager Xavi. He got injured at the beginning of January and, when he returned in February, Pau Cubarsi had taken his place. Towards the end of the season he registered more minutes due to Ronald Araujo’s injury, but he was never a mainstay in the heart of the defence.

This season, injuries have forced Eric Garcia to play as a defensive pivot instead of at centre-back and, as a result, Martinez is now a starter and one of Flick’s key men. He very much showed it against Young Boys.

He went off late on, complaining about a back injury. Barcelona will desperately hope it is nothing serious.

Laia Cervelló Herrero