Barcelona took an early lead against Manchester United on Thursday after Bruno Fernandes gave away a contentious penalty on Alejandro Balde.
When the Barcelona fullback picked up the ball inside the penalty area, the United midfielder quickly started to press him. Balde fell to the ground as Fernandes put his arm over his adversary in an effort to counter the danger. Much to the chagrin of the Portugal international and the majority of those present at Old Trafford, that was sufficient for the referee to point to the penalty spot.
Even though there was little interaction, Fernandes’ longer contact was considered important when making the choice.
Regardless of the strength of the tug, the Portuguese star had a firm hold on Balde’s arm for an extended period of time, which was sufficient to declare a foul.
Once the choice had been made, it was decided that the problem was not obvious enough to call for VAR assistance.
When the foul was announced, Robert Lewandowski promptly stood to take it. David de Gea made his customary stuttering jump-and-shoot and put a good amount of glove on it, but the ball still managed to hit the inside of the post and go in. The perfect start for Xavi’s team came from the Poland international in the 18th minute, demonstrating that his players had taken his advise to not be anxious for the occasion.
Fred managed to equalize for United early in the second half, leveling the final score to 3-3 overall.
After Thursday’s blockbuster Europa League clash, United host Newcastle in the Premier League while Barcelona travel to Almeria in La Liga, both on Sunday.
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