Barcelona suffered a heavy blow immediately after kick‑off at the Metropolitano. A combination of factors — an awkward backpass from Eric García, unpredictable ball behaviour due to the pitch and a miscontrol by Joan García — resulted in an early goal that left Hansi Flick’s side facing a costly uphill task.
In the seventh minute, Eric García played a backwards pass intended to involve Joan García in building out from the back. Because the turf caused irregular bobbles, the ball slipped just beneath the goalkeeper’s foot and crossed the goal line. The sequence stood out for how quickly it unfolded and for the role the playing surface appeared to have in it.
Lookman then completed a second scoring action, taking advantage of Barça’s passive defensive reaction. Shortly after, another self‑inflicted gift arrived before the quarter‑hour mark: poor defensive recovery and late reactions to pressure allowed Antoine Griezmann to finish with ease against a visibly overwhelmed Joan García.
It later became clear that Eric García’s backpass was affected by the Metropolitano’s pitch, which has been subject to criticism during the week for making the ball bounce unpredictably. Those problems, combined with Barcelona’s inability to find rhythm from the outset, left the team in a difficult position with almost no time to settle.
The first fifteen minutes once again exposed Barcelona’s fragility: the recurring issues with focus and intensity at the start of matches in recent weeks remain unresolved. Bad defensive organisation, sluggish returns to position and a lack of pressing allowed the opponent to create and convert opportunities with relative ease.
Overall, for Hansi Flick’s side this was a severe early setback — forced into an immediate comeback without the chance to establish control — while the twin problems of pitch conditions and poor concentration in the opening minutes returned to the spotlight.
