KEY POINTS

  • Barcelona defeated Galatasaray 2-1 in their round of 16-second leg
  • Aubameyang netted the winner for the visitors in Turkey
  • The first goal for Barca was scored by Pedri

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s winner against Galatasaray Thursday took FC Barcelona to quarters of the 2021-22 Europa League.

Aubameyang, who has been in fine form since his arrival from Arsenal in the January window, now has netted seven goals in as many games for Barcelona. Barcelona defeated Galatasaray 2-1 in their round of 16-second leg.

Brazilian defender Marcao put Galatasaray 1-0 up just 28 minutes after the kick-off at Turkey’s Nef Stadyumu Stadium. A few minutes later, Barcelona’s young midfielder Pedri equalized for the visitors.

Soon after Aubameyang’s 49th-minute winner, the home crowd was infuriated and some fans started throwing bottles and plastic cups onto the field. The referee was forced to stop the game for a few minutes while the Galatasaray players tried to calm the situation.

As Xavi Hernandez’s Barcelona dropped into Europa League after finishing third during the group stage of the Champions League, behind Bayern Munich and Benfica, the Catalans first faced Napoli in the second-tier European competition.

A 1-1 draw at Camp Nou was followed by a superb 4-2 victory for Barcelona in Italy. Aubameyang was one of the scorers for Barcelona at Napoli. By scoring at Galatasaray as well, Aubameyang became the first Barcelona player to score in his first two European games on the road since Robert Fernández in the UEFA Cup 1986/87 in Lisbon against Sporting CP and in Uerdingen, according to Opta Jose.

“We played a match of huge personality. It was a great performance to fight back on a ground like this against a very good team. They knew how to defend against us but we were patient. I’m very happy for my players. Today was important. It is a European competition and we want to go far,” Barca boss Xavi said after the match.

Jordi Alba (2ndL) and Dani Alves were both on the scoresheet for Barcelona
Barcelona are now unbeaten in their last 13 competitive games AFP / LLUIS GENE

Barcelona’s next game is a big one as they are going to travel to Madrid for the El Classico. Even though Barca are unbeaten in their last 11 competitive matches, Xavi believes that won’t make a difference when they play at Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday.

“And you could say that we are in a good place [ahead of El Clasico]. But that means nothing, I have seen that many times before. It will be very difficult. It will be tough,” added Xavi in the same interview.

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