New-look Barcelona show positive signs in defeat to Bayern

BARCELONA: Barcelona showed against Bayern Munich on Tuesday that the worst may be behind for them but have not yet managed to pull level with football’s elite in the quest for the Champions League glory. Julian Nagelsmann’s Bundesliga champions rode their luck at the Allianz Arena in the first half but improved after the break to dispatch a spirited, but ultimately frustrated, Barcelona 2-0 with goals from Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane. The Catalans last won the Champions League in 2015, beating Bayern in the semifinals on the way to their triumph in Berlin, but have now suffered five consecutive defeats against the Bavarians.

Last season Barca, reeling from the departure of Lionel Messi, were twice defeated comprehensively by Bayern, contributing to a humiliating group stage exit. The previous season they suffered a brutal 8-2 dissection at the hands of the Bavarians which demonstrated how far they had fallen from the game’s summit. In Munich on Tuesday Barcelona had the better of the first half, with former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski spurning a handful of opportunities on his return to Germany, but two goals in a five-minute second-half salvo whisked the game away from them.

“We will take the positives and even though it was a negative result, we can learn from the errors,” said Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández. “It’s a step back. We did enough to draw, if not to win.