Barça win the Copa Catalunya (1-1)

Barça win the Copa Catalunya (1-1)

Barça have won the Copa Catalunya for the sixth time after beating Espanyol on penalties. The ninety minutes were well-matched, but somewhat lacking in intensity.
The first of the two Barça v Espanyol derbies of the week has been won by the former thanks to a penalty shoot-out after the sides could not be split during regulation time. Both sides opted to field what were essentially their reserve sides, and despite a gripping first 25 minutes, most of the match was a generally lethargic affair. Early goal Barça scored with their first real attack of the game. Belletti moved up the field and caught the very deep Espanyol defence unawares with a through ball to Ezquerro who beat the offside goal to slot the ball past Gorka (min.8). Espanyol had their own chances to replicate the action against Jorquera, including a Coro effort that rebounded back off the bar. From 0-2 to 1-1 Espanyol pushed forward, and Barça again caught their defence napping with a long ball to Giovani, whose effort struck the post. And seconds after Barça could have stretched their lead, the scores were levelled following a delightful three-man move involving Moha, Fede and Pedraza (min.24). Following the equaliser, both sides seemed to take their feet off the accelerator. Neither side was dominating the proceedings, with the only talking point being an Espanyol goal that was immediately disallowed for offside. Continuous interruptions Barça were more incisive in the second half, but their efforts led to little more than speculative long shots. With Valverde and Rijkaard making a seemingly interminable number of substitutions, it was very hard for any kind of rhythm to be created in what developed into an untidily stop-start affair. Two great chances Moha enjoyed Espanyol’s finest chance to edge ahead in the 68th minute with a header from inside the six-yard box. That was the wake up call Barcelona needed, and Motta was unfortunate with a 77th minute strike. But although those two moves suggested the last ten minutes were going to bring a bit of excitement at last, that did not turn out to be the case, and from then on both sides seemed content to let the clock tick its way down to a penalty shoot out. Penalty decider FC Barcelona made no mistake with their spot kicks. Angel had missed Espanyol’s first attempt, and although all of his team-mates delivered, so did all five of Barça’s penalty takers. Ezquerro, Giovani, Belletti, Crosas and Motta converted impeccably to bring the Copa Catalunya crown to FC Barcelona for a record sixth time, and at the same time then squad has benefited from a major psychological boost ahead of the rematch between the sides in Saturday’s league encounter.

Jordi Clos
Barça have won the Copa Catalunya for the sixth time after beating Espanyol on penalties. The ninety minutes were well-matched, but somewhat lacking in intensity.
The first of the two Barça v Espanyol derbies of the week has been won by the former thanks to a penalty shoot-out after the sides could not be split during regulation time. Both sides opted to field what were essentially their reserve sides, and despite a gripping first 25 minutes, most of the match was a generally lethargic affair. Early goal Barça scored with their first real attack of the game. Belletti moved up the field and caught the very deep Espanyol defence unawares with a through ball to Ezquerro who beat the offside goal to slot the ball past Gorka (min.8). Espanyol had their own chances to replicate the action against Jorquera, including a Coro effort that rebounded back off the bar. From 0-2 to 1-1 Espanyol pushed forward, and Barça again caught their defence napping with a long ball to Giovani, whose effort struck the post. And seconds after Barça could have stretched their lead, the scores were levelled following a delightful three-man move involving Moha, Fede and Pedraza (min.24). Following the equaliser, both sides seemed to take their feet off the accelerator. Neither side was dominating the proceedings, with the only talking point being an Espanyol goal that was immediately disallowed for offside. Continuous interruptions Barça were more incisive in the second half, but their efforts led to little more than speculative long shots. With Valverde and Rijkaard making a seemingly interminable number of substitutions, it was very hard for any kind of rhythm to be created in what developed into an untidily stop-start affair. Two great chances Moha enjoyed Espanyol’s finest chance to edge ahead in the 68th minute with a header from inside the six-yard box. That was the wake up call Barcelona needed, and Motta was unfortunate with a 77th minute strike. But although those two moves suggested the last ten minutes were going to bring a bit of excitement at last, that did not turn out to be the case, and from then on both sides seemed content to let the clock tick its way down to a penalty shoot out. Penalty decider FC Barcelona made no mistake with their spot kicks. Angel had missed Espanyol’s first attempt, and although all of his team-mates delivered, so did all five of Barça’s penalty takers. Ezquerro, Giovani, Belletti, Crosas and Motta converted impeccably to bring the Copa Catalunya crown to FC Barcelona for a record sixth time, and at the same time then squad has benefited from a major psychological boost ahead of the rematch between the sides in Saturday’s league encounter.