Josep Lago/AFP/BolaSport.com Gelandang FC Barcelona, Paulinho (tengah), mencoba mengamankan bola dari incaran pemain Espanyol, Victor Sanchez, dalam pertandingan leg 1 perempat final Copa del Rey 2017-2018 di Stadion RCDE, Barcelona, Spanyol, pada Rabi (17/1/2018). JOSEP LAGO/AFP/BOLASPORT.COM
TRIBUNNEWS.COM, SPANYOL - Pada leg pertama babak perempat final Copa del Rey, Kamis (18/1/2018) dini hari, Barcelona harus takluk 0-1 dari Espanyol.
Tampil sebagai tim tamu di Stadion RCDE, tak menghalangi Barcelona untuk langsung menekan lini pertahanan Espanyol dalam Derbi Catalunya ke-178 ini.
Lionel Messi tetap menjadi pusat serangan Barcelona pada laga ini.
Pemain asal Argentina tersebut bahkan harus beberapa kali dilanggar oleh pera pemain Espanyol yang ingin menghentikan pergerakan pria 30 tahun ini.
Meski beberapa kali mengancam terutama lewat Paulinho dan Lionel Messi.
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Disiplinnnya lini pertahanan Espanyol sepanjang babak pertama membuat El Barca kesulitan mencetak gol.
Skor 0-0 pun mengakhiri babak pertama di Stadion RCDE.
BARCELONA , KOMPAS.com — Barcelona mengalami kekalahan pertamanya pada musim ini. Tim asuhan Ernesto Valverde itu kalah 0-1 dari Espanyol pada pertandingan pertama babak perempat final Copa del Rey di Stadion RCDE, Rabu (17/1/2018) atau Kamis dini hari WIB.
Pada laga di kandang Espanyol itu, kesialan Barcelona sudah tampak sejak menit ke-63. Lionel Messi gagal menjalankan tugasnya sebagai eksekutor penalti setelah sepakannya ditepis Diego Lopez.
Dua menit menjelang pertandingan berakhir, Barcelona yang mendominasi penguasaan bola hingga 68 persen kebobolan oleh gol Oscar Melende. Skor 1-0 untuk kemenangan Espanyol pada Derbi Catalan itu bertahan hingga peluit akhir berbunyi.
Bagi Barcelona, ini adalah kekalahan pertamanya sejak musim 2017-2018 bergulir. Kekalahan terakhir mereka terjadi pada Piala Super Spanyol 2018 yang berlangsung sebelum Liga Spanyol berjalan.
Kendati demikian, Barcelona punya kesempatan untuk tetap lolos ke semifinal Copa del Rey. Mereka akan menjadi tuan rumah pada pertemuan kedua di Camp Nou, Kamis (25/1/2018).
Pada pertandingan lain, Sevilla meraih kemenangan tipis 2-1 di kandang Real Madrid. Hasil ini setidaknya meredam kritik kepada Pelatih Vincenzo Montella yang pada dua laga pertamanya di liga alami kekalahan.
Satu pertandingan perempat final yang belum dilangsungkan adalah antara Leganes vs Real Madrid. Laga tersebut akan dimainkan pada Kamis (18/1/2018) malam atau Jumat dini hari WIB.
Hasil perempat final Copa del Rey, Rabu (17/1/2018):
Atletico Madrid 1-2 Sevilla (Diego Costa 73' ; Jesus Navas 79', Joaquim Correa 88')
Valencia 2-1 Alaves (Goncalo Guedes 73', Rodrigo 82' ; Ruben Sobrino 66')
Nowadays, everyone around the world knows all about Barça being ‘més que un club’ as the famous expression goes. And it’s an expression that’s fifty years old today!
It was originally coined by Narcís de Carreras on 17 January 1968 just before he assumed the club presidency.
In those times of supressed democratic rights under the Franco dictatorship, it was a way of depicting how Barça is not just about sport. It has always been a symbol of the Catalan identity as well.
Since then, the expression has been used to describe other aspects of the club’s uniqueness, such as the fact that it competes not only in football but in several other sports and, of course, also as a reflection of its noble principles and especially its dedication to social causes.
The original words
The exact words of Narcís de Carreras, a staunch liberal Catalan, after being appointed by the Delegate Assembly were that “Barcelona is more than a football club. Barcelona is more than a place of leisure where we go to watch the team play every Sunday. More than those things, it is the spirit that is so ingrained within us.”
In all honesty, the original intention was probably no more than a description of how supporters are so fervently loyal to their club. He could have been speaking about any football team. But under the shadow of fascism, there was another underlying interpretation that did not go unnoticed.
Barça was not just about sport. It was also a symbol of the oppressed Catalan sentiment at a time when people had to very careful what they said in public.
Popularisation
Curiously, the phrase didn’t particularly catch on at first. It was not until 1973, and an advertising campaign run by Javier Coma for a game between European and American XIs at the Camp Nou.
The ad, which appeared in all the major sports dailies (in the Spanish language) proclaimed that: “The history, projection and activities of Barcelona football club have not only positioned it above the situations that the football team has faced, but also on a much higher emotional and cultural plane that would normally be expected of a sports club”.
A few weeks later, the slogan, this time in Catalan, that “we are what we are called: Barça is more than a club” was to be used for Agustí Montal Costa’s presidential campaign in December 1973, but was eventually dropped. However, by now the expression had clearly caught on among the populace.
It has only been in more modern times that the term has gained a kind of semi-official status. It is emblazoned on the Camp Nou terraces, outside the club offices, on the shirt, on the website and many other places.
This has occurred at the same time that the club has become a truly global icon. Barça is no longer just a part of Catalan culture, and a way for new arrivals to integrate with the locals. There are supporters in every continent, and Barça is also a vehicle for charity programmes, such as the agreements with UNICEF, ACNUR and UNESCO and all the noble work done through the FC Barcelona Foundation.
Barça donates two million euros to UNICEF every year and its Foundation uses 85% of its income for social causes.
Early precedent
But whatever the origin of the expression itself, there’s no ignoring the fact that the sentiment behind it has been around for a lot, lot longer. In fact, we could go all the way back to the club’s official newsletter published in April 1933, where it said that “FC Barcelona seeks to means much more than a mere football club, which is why it is considered indispensable for it to be represented in places of honour and commitment”.
The expression may be fifty years old today, but Barça has been ‘more than a club’ for many more years than that!
FC Barcelona have been beaten for the first time ever at the RCDE Stadium, and their unbeaten run of 29 games has also been brought to an end, after Espanyol sprung a late shocker to snatch a 1-0 win in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey first leg.
It was certainly a setback to suffer the first defeat in 154 days, and even more so at the home of their local rivals, but Ernesto Valverde can take consolidation from the fact that it was by no means the result that his side deserved, and they have another 90 minutes at the Camp Nou next Thursday in which to make amends.
Barça can also take heart from Rafinha coming on as a 77th minute substitute for his first competitive outing since getting injured against Granada nine months earlier.
First half stalemate
The game commenced with all the typical intensity of this famous rivalry. As expected, Barça were enjoying the vast majority of the possession, while Espanyol’s approach could often be best described as ‘physical’.
Almost all the action in the first 45 minutes was inside blue-and-white territory, but the home side managed to limit the blaugrana to little more than half chances and a possible penalty claim.
Indeed, it looked like the parakeets’ main priority was preventing Barça from getting an away goal, ith the odd timid attempt to sneak a goal of their own on the counter attack.
It was game in desperate need of a goal to open things up, and moments before the break Denis Suárez came the closest yet to giving us one, but his effort failed to hit the mark.
Penalty woe
The second half began by following the same script, with Barça slowly trying to wear down the Espanyol defence in a largely uneventful encounter.
But the hour mark produced the incident that changed the momentum of the game. Esteban Granero trod on Sergi Roberto, the referee pointed straight at the spot, and Leo Messi stepped up to take the penalty.
The Argentinian struck the ball well, but goalkeeper Diego Lopez timed a perfect dive to nudge it away. The home fans, who had fiercely protested the penalty decision, celebrated as if their side had just scored a goal.
Late shock
The incident also breathed new life into Espanyol. It was no longer a case of one-way traffic, and Jasper Cillessen was getting called more and more into the action.
Their confidence grew and grew and with three minutes on the clock Óscar Melendo was on the end of a Marc Navarro assist and Espanyol had taken an unexpected lead.
There was little time left for Barça to react, at least on the night. Fortunately, Copa del Rey games are two-legged affairs and with home advantage in eight days’ time, Barça’s bid to win a fourth consecutive title is still very much alive.
