FULL-TIME, Barcelona 5-0 Antwerp: A second straight 5-0 destruction at home and a perfect way to start a new European journey. Well done, boys!
66’ GOAL!!! Barcelona 5-0 Antwerp (Félix): IT’S FIVE!!! The party continues at Camp Nou as Raphinha puts in a beautiful cross and João Félix heads it home at the far post for his second of the night!
54’ GOAL!!! Barcelona 4-0 Antwerp (Gavi): IT’S FOUR!!! Gavi joins the scoring party after yet another beautiful passing combination inside the box ends with a blocked shot that falls to the young midfielder who fires a rocket into the roof of the net!
SECOND HALF KICKOFF! Barcelona 3-0 Antwerp: Back underway at Montjuïc! Will Barça cruise to a win or try to add more goals?
HALFTIME, Barcelona 3-0 Antwerp: As comfortable as it gets for Barça, who dominated the entire period and found three goals with extreme ease. If they want to they can score even more in the second half, but the three points are pretty much assured at the break.
22’ GOAL!!! Barcelona 3-0 Antwerp (Bataille OG): IT’S THREE!!! Barça seal the win midway through the first half as Raphinha’s attempted cross hits Antwerp right-back Jelle Bataille and goes in off the post. This is almost too easy.
19’ GOAL!!! Barcelona 2-0 Antwerp (Lewandowski): BARÇA DOUBLE THE LEAD!!! Frenkie de Jong plays an OUTRAGEOUS through ball to find João Félix who takes his time and picks out a perfect cross to Robert Lewandowski, who is all alone at the far post and volleys it home!
11’ GOAL!!! Barcelona 1-0 Antwerp (Félix): BARÇA TAKE THE LEAD!!! A beautiful passing combination through the middle ends with an assist by Ilkay Gündogan and an excellent finish by João Félix who picks the bottom corner and opens his European account for Barça!
KICKOFF! Barcelona 0-0 Antwerp: And we’re underway at Montjuïc!
WELCOME TO THE MONTJUÏC OLYMPIC STADIUM!!! The beautiful temporary home of the world’s greatest club is the site of the first Champions League adventure of the season for Barcelona, who welcome Royal Antwerp for their group stage opener. Barça are big favorites to kick things off with a win, but Antwerp are hungry to prove they are better than people think and want to show why they are the Belgian champions and can make noise in the group. This should be fun, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!
(Note: the comments will be open only when the team news come out, because our commenter people love commenting and sometimes there are too many comments in the comments section)
LINEUPS
BARCELONA
Starting XI: Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Kounde, Christensen, Balde; Gavi, De Jong, Gündogan; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Félix (4-3-3)
Substitutes: Peña (GK), Astralaga (GK), Iñigo, Alonso, Roberto, Romeu, Casadó, Fermín, Yamal, Ferran
ROYAL ANTWERP
Starting XI: Butez; Bataille, Alderweireld, Coulibaly, Wijndal; Keita, Vermeeren; Muja, Ekkelenkamp, Balikwisha; Janssen (4-2-3-1)
Substitutes: De Wolf (GK), Lammens (GK), De Laet, Kerk, Yussuf, Ilenikhena, Ejuke, Van Den Bosch, Valencia
MATCH INFO
Competition/Round: 2023-24 Champions League, Group H, Matchday 1
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 9pm CET (Barcelona), 8pm BST/WAT (UK & Nigeria), 3pm ET, 12pm PT (USA), 12.30am IST (India, Wednesday)
Venue: Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Montjuïc, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Referee: Radu Petrescu (ROU)
VAR: Ovidiu Haţegan (ROU)
HOW TO WATCH
On TV: TUDN (USA), TNT Sports 4 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), SONY TEN 3 (India), Movistar Liga de Campeones (Spain), others
Online: Paramount+ (USA), Discovery+ (UK), Movistar+ (Spain), others
Matchday Thread Rules
We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:
Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.
Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!
