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Barcelona overcame Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League, thanks to a landmark strike from Gerard Pique, to pick up their first win of the season. The Blaugrana had endured 3-0 defeats against Bayern Munich (home) and Benfica (away) to start their campaign.
Despite keeping more of the ball, clear-cut chances were hard to come by against Kyiv, although Sergino Dest, Luuk de Jong and Ansu Fati squandered presentable openings. For all their defensive solidity, Kyiv showed no attacking intent, rarely getting out of their half, as they ended the game without bagging a shot on target.
Barcelona are now third in Group E, but they now have to swiftly turn their attention to Sunday's El Clasico against high-flying Real Madrid. On that note, here are the five key talking points from the match:
#5 Profligate Barcelona open their Champions League account for the season
Barcelona wasted some good chances against Kyiv that would've made for a more convincing win. Against most other teams, Barcelona's profligacy could have hurt them, but Kyiv didn't show enough attacking intent to punish their illustrious hosts for their benevolence.
Sergino Dest and Luuk de Jong came close to scoring in the first half, but fired their efforts wide. Ansu Fati, who was a lively attacking presence after coming off the bench, also squandered a glorious chance.
A horrible mistake from Heorhiy Bushchan had opened up space inside the box. But the 18-year-old, with his back to the goal, attempted an ambitious backward kick that flew wide when he was better off setting up an unmarked Sergio Busquets.
The Barcelona team of the old would've ruthlessly put a sorry Kyiv team away and cruised to a big win. But Ronald Koeman's side are struggling to emerge out of Lionel Messi’s shadows, with an underwhelming performance against modest visitors. A repeat of that is unlikely to go unpunished in the El Clasico on Sunday.
#4 Ansu Fati deserves to start
It was no coincidence that Barcelona took off Luuk de Jong for Ansu Fati, who looked menacing immediately after coming on. The teenage sensation boosted Barcelona's misfiring attack, and nearly scored a spectacular goal too.
He made several excellent runs into the Kyiv box, providing an attacking outlet from dangerous positions. Fati had Bilo-Syn on the ropes, as they just couldn't keep up with him. Earlier, it was announced that Barcelona have tied down Fati to a contract till 2027.
Fati must have been disappointed by his execution of the overhead kick, as he had better options around him who could have scored. Nevertheless, Fati was a lively presence in the Barcelona attack.
Considering Fati's recent form. Ronald Koeman would be wise to start him in El Clasico.
#3 Dynamo Kyiv show no attacking intent against Barcelona
Dynamo Kyiv knew fighting for the ball with a ball-dominant team like Barcelona would be foolish. So they sat back in their half, trying to soak up the pressure. However, in doing that, the visitors sacrificed their attacking game, ending the game without a single effort on target.
Barcelona's high press had the Ukrainian side pinned back firmly, so much so that they couldn't even play the ball out from the back. The closest Kyiv came to scoring was from a set-piece. Barcelona failed to clear their lines and Viktor Tsygankov fired a shot, but Pique was on hand to block the effort.
Considering Barcelona's struggles in Europe this season, Kyiv should have adopted a more adventurous approach to take the game to the Blaugrana.
#2 Gerard Pique nets landmark strike
Barcelona had drawn Dynamo Kyiv in the group stage of the last Champions League season as well. They won their home game just like they did on Wednesday. One of the goalscorers that night was Pique, just like he was tonight.
In that game, he connected with a beautiful cross from Ansu Fati inside the box to power home a header. On Wednesday, the Spaniard received a similar peach of a cross from Jordi Alba, and thumped a low drive into the bottom corner. Pique has scored only twice in the Champions League in the last 12 months, and both have come against Dynamo Kyiv at the Camp Nou.
His latest strike made Pique the joint-most prolific goalscoring defender in the Champions League, joining Roberto Carlos (16).
In the process, the 34-year-old became the oldest Barcelona player to score in the Champions League. Interestingly, the Blaugrana have won each of the 14 Champions League games Pique has scored in for them.
#1 Barcelona avert danger for now
A third defeat in the Champions League would've been absolutely catastrophic for Barcelona, and would have virtually ended their hopes of reaching the Round of 16. So a victory against Kyiv has given them some breathing room.
With their win, they climb above Kyiv to third place in the group, and another victory on Matchday 4, two weeks from now, will be a further boost to their last-16 chances. However, the Blaugrana must find their best form.
This wasn't the most convincing of performances from Barcelona. They missed some absolute sitters against a modest opposition, never looked to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Against bigger teams, Barcelona could be severely punished.
Barcelona had no trouble controlling the game against Kyiv, but severely lacked pace and intensity. Ansu Fati and Philippe Coutinho both came off the bench to help the side a bit in that regard. With El Clasico coming up this Sunday, the Blaugrana need urgent improvements.
