Ferran Torres’ only goal in the added minutes of the first half made all the difference as Barcelona walked out 1-0 victorious in their second UEFA Champions League group stage game against FC Porto.
The game had no shortage of drama. For once, Lamine Yamal got sick in the middle of the game, Robert Lewandowski got off injured and there was a penalty decision that got overturned in favour of Barcelona.
The penalty incident and Cancelo’s verdict
That penalty incident involved Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese international appeared to use his hand to thwart at an attacking opportunity for Porto inside the box.
The referee was quick to point to the spot, however, VAR’s intervention turned things around, with the penalty decision getting overturned
While speaking about the incident, the Barcelona summer signing said (h/t O Jogo): “Now with VAR, everything is clearer even though it is always a decision made by one person. I saw that [Stephen] Eustaquio played first with the ball in his hand and I told the referee… I was right.”
Cancelo was at the receiving end of a yellow card in as early as the 13th minute and the defender said that it did affect his performance.
“I got a yellow card very early, which affected my performance. Porto is a very aggressive team at home.
“We already knew we were going to have some counterattacks. The important thing is to win 6/6 points and we haven’t conceded a goal yet,” he explained.
At the same time, he said although he is happy with the outcome of the game, the feeling is not the same with the match official.
“We are very happy. I always wanted to play for Barça, my idols played here. It is a great and historic club and I am happy to be here.”
“The referee was not good during the match. He showed a lot of yellow cards and there were fouls that were not worth it,” he said.
Araujo stresses Cancelo’s importance
Meanwhile, Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo was asked about the game and specifically about playing at his usual centre-back position, to which he said that it was extremely necessary for Barcelona to sign a player like Cancelo.
“Playing alongside [Jules] Kounde and Cancelo? Cancelo is a natural fullback and Kounde is a centre-back. It was important to add a player like Cancelo to the team,” he said, as quoted by MARCA.
The defender added that if the same game had been played last year, they would have lost the fixture and this is what makes this win important.
“Whoever plays, we give our best.”
“This win must be emphasized. We would have lost this game in previous years… We have to take into account where we came from,” he explained.
In the 73rd minute, the Uruguayan needed medical attention and while speaking about the incident, he simply said, “I’m fine. It was just a cramp.”
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