MX23RW : Friday, November 8 09:57:45| >> :120:57425:57425:
[monks data]
Attendance: 86,141
Barcelona logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 2, 2019 at 8pm UK
 
Inter logo

2-1

Suarez (58', 84')
FT(HT: 0-1)

Ernesto Valverde hails Barcelona's 'decisiveness' in final third

Ernesto Valverde hails Barcelona's 'decisiveness' in final third
© Reuters
The Serie A leaders took the lead at the Nou Camp but Barca rallied.

Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde felt his side's improvement in the final third was the reason behind their comeback win over Inter Milan in the Champions League.

The hosts were up against it at the Nou Camp after Lautaro Martinez struck in the second minute for the Serie A leaders.

But Barca improved, with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez taking centre stage in the second half.

Suarez netted twice, the second coming in the 84th minute following a fine run from Messi, to seal a 2-1 win which put the Spanish champions level with Borussia Dortmund in Group F, three points above Slavia Prague and Inter.

Luis Suarez scored twice for Barcelona
Luis Suarez scored twice for Barcelona (Emilio Morenatti/AP)

Valverde told Marca: "We needed to transform the match going forward. We controlled the play with (Sergio) Busquets, Arthur (Melo), (Frenkie) De Jong, but we didn't have any space to play.

"We needed to be more of a threat in their area and be more decisive in the final third. They kept us far away from their goal and we were able to come back."

Barcelona were fortunate to only be one goal down at half-time after Inter missed several chances to add to Martinez's fine finish.

Antonio Candreva had a goal disallowed for offside, Nicolo Barella saw a shot blocked and Martinez was denied by a fine save from Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

"(Lautaro's goal) really put the game in their favour and strengthened their situation a lot," Valverde said.

"They're a powerful team, they're first in the Italian league (after) winning all their matches. They made our lives difficult, but we were better in the second half."

The defeat for Inter, who return to league action against champions Juventus on Sunday, was their first this season under Antonio Conte.

Midfielder Barella told Sky Sport: "We came here and demonstrated that we're capable of matching them and winning: this is what Conte asked of us.

"We also showed this after the equaliser, but they found the winning goal. It's disappointing, but now we go forward and start thinking about the next game."

ID:373732: cacheID:373732:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5441:No Data Analysis info
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Mesut Ozil in action during the Premier League game between Watford and Arsenal on September 15, 2019
Read Next:
Wednesday's papers: Mesut Ozil, Willian, Diego Costa
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Bengals
34-35
Ravens
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!