Barcelona managed a 1-1 draw in their second match of the pre-season friendly against Nice. A second-half penalty from midfielder Xavi Hernandez earned Barcelona a 1-1 friendly draw .Dario Cvitanich had given Nice the lead from the penalty spot on 21 minutes.
A second-half penalty from midfielder Xavi Hernandez earned Barcelona a 1-1 friendly draw
Barca boss Luis Enrique handed starts to new signings Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Jeremy Mathieu, while Ivan Rakitic and Alen Halilovic were on the bench.
Half-time substitute Xavi, 34, showed how it is done as he made the difference in France, injecting life into the attack and equalising on 61 minutes.
The captain is still just as essential as he has ever been. He controlled Barcelona's game in the second half and drew the scoreline level from the penalty spot, after Cvitanich gave Nice the lead, also with a spot kick.
The clash which took place at Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice gave a glimpse of Luis Enrique's plan for the forthcoming season. He played most of the Spanish players who took part in the 2014 Brazil World Cup and also tried out some of the new arrivals, including Marc Andre Ter Stegen and Jeremy Mathieu.
Former Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu lined up in the centre of defence alongside Gerard Piqué, and was replaced at half-time by Edgar Ié.
Luis Enrique's starting eleven also featured Jordi Alba, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Pedro and Rafinha, whilst Xavi and the debutant Ivan Rakitic came on after the break.
No comments:
Post a Comment