Barça Won Half a Match and Lost the Whole Tournament

FC Barcelona finished second in the three-team tournament in Udine. Hansi Flick’s side beat Nottingham Forest 1–0 thanks to a Raphinha penalty before losing 1–0 to Udinese. The hosts collected all six points and took the trophy.

According to FCBarca.com, Barça enjoyed plenty of possession but once again discovered that keeping the ball is much easier than creating anything with it. Across 90 minutes of football, the team scored once — from the penalty spot — while Wojciech Szczęsny and the post repeatedly prevented Forest from taking the lead.

Udinese settled the tournament in the 44th minute of the final game. Gueye delivered the ball across the box and Vakoun Bayo lifted it over Szczęsny. Barça return home with second place, useful minutes for the youngsters and another reminder that possession only becomes dangerous when someone eventually remembers to shoot.