worte by talal osman
FC Barcelona narrowly escaped defeat away to Club Brugge, relying on a late own goal to secure a thrilling 3-3 draw on Wednesday in the fourth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
The match saw an exceptional performance from Portuguese winger Carlos Forbes Borges, who provided the assist for Nicolo Tresoldi’s opener in the 6th minute before scoring twice himself (17' and 64'), making him the undisputed star of the match. Barcelona twice came from behind with goals from Ferran Torres (8') and Lamine Yamal (61'), and were rescued by a 77th-minute own goal by Christos Tzolis, which prevented a second consecutive European defeat for the Spanish side.
Barça hoped to rebound from their “El Clásico” loss to Real Madrid by beating Elche locally, but found themselves on the brink of another tough defeat in Europe due to persistent defensive struggles and Brugge’s ability to exploit available space throughout the game.
Coach Hansi Flick’s side continues to show inconsistency in the competition, having suffered a home loss to Paris Saint-Germain, before bouncing back with two wins against Newcastle and Olympiacos. This draw keeps their chances alive for direct qualification to the knockout stages.
Club Brugge, meanwhile, secured their first draw in this year’s tournament after a big win over Monaco and two earlier losses. The Belgian team impressed with speed and precision on the counterattack, causing many problems for Barcelona’s defense.
Other group matches saw Newcastle United earn their third straight win (after an opening loss to Barça) by defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-0, while Marseille suffered a late 1-0 defeat to Atalanta, cementing a third consecutive Champions League loss for the French side.
