Luis Suarez Scores, Barcelona Beat Manchester United in UCL Quarter-Final Leg 1

Luis Suarez Scores, Barcelona Beat Manchester United in UCL Quarter-Final Leg 1

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Barcelona's German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen (R) makes a save during the UEFA Champions league first leg quarter-final football match between Manchester United and Barcelona at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on April 10, 2019. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP) (Photo credit should read LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

LLUIS GENE/Getty Images

Luis Suarez came back to haunt Manchester United and forced the opener at Old Trafford as Barcelona won 1-0 in the opening leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday.

The last touch for the opening goal came off Luke Shaw after Lionel Messi and Suarez combined in the 12th minute, but Barca were frustrated in their attempts to add a second.

They left Old Trafford with the narrowest victory and will seek to guard their advantage at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. The victory marked Barca’s maiden victory at the Theatre of Dreams on their fifth attempt, with a treble still in sight for Ernesto Valverde’s side this season.

    

Pogba Failing to Deliver on Big Nights He Was Bought For

After an initial honeymoon period of superlative form following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment at Old Trafford, Pogba has slumped of late and continues to show a trend of shrinking on the big stage for United.

It clearly wasn’t a problem for the midfielder when he played a leading role in France’s triumph at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but his inability to play with the same assured aplomb has muddied his reputation.

After scoring eight goals and recording five assists in his first nine league games under Solskjaer, Pogba has now failed to register a goal or assist in his last four league matches. As for European form, the Frenchman hasn’t had a direct goal involvement since the 3-0 win at Young Boys in September.

The failure to perform in Europe has been particularly frustrating, per BBC 5 Live Sport:

His inability to sparkle against Barca wasn’t for a lack of trying, and Statman Dave attested to the Blaugrana having to use more underhanded ways to prevent his runs:

Nevertheless, great players, players who break world transfer records and are among the highest paid on the planet, find a way to outmanoeuvre such tactics when their team needs it most.

The dynamic appeared to change in the second half as Solskjaer appeared to position Pogba closer to Busquets, who is ever a key orchestrator for the Catalan giants. 

Sportswriter David Cartlidge highlighted Pogba would benefit from a more advanced role:

Part of the struggle for United in squeezing the most out of Pogba right now comes in Solskjaer’s selection and not compromising elsewhere in midfield so that he can put the 26-year-old in his best role.

Fred and Scott McTominay were elected to start in the middle on Wednesday, but perhaps a lack of trust in those two to hold the core against such revered opposition played its role.

Pogba has accumulated one assist and no goals in his last six meetings against “big-six” opposition in the Premier League. That sole contribution was essential in a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, but his rate of return against bigger teams is disappointing.

He finished his performance against Barca without attempting a tackle or a dribble in 90 minutes, per WhoScored.com, though he hit the target with 90 per cent of his passes, per WhoScored.

Solskjaer has shown signs he could get the most out of the player in his second spell at the club, though he has fallen a long way short of what fans would hope for on the larger stages.

       

Barcelona’s Defensive Cracks Mean Fixture Isn’t Decided

While Barca will be pleased with a winning result away from home, the two-legged affair is far from over as both teams showed hints this clash could change all too easily.

Sergio Busquets was booked after 17 minutes and arguably could have been shown his first caution even earlier than that. Gerard Pique also had his share of wobbly-ish moments at the back and showed signs that Marcus Rashford’s turn of pace can cause him problems.

Rashford looked particularly hungry at the Parc des Princes in March and was vital in applying pressure on the Paris Saint-Germain defence, not to mention scoring the winning penalty in injury time.

There was also a challenge from Pique on McTominay in the first period that, while slight, looked as though it should have resulted in a spot kick:

United failed to find the target in 90 minutes at home but had more attempts on goal, per WhoScored, and were determined to break enemy lines at least, even if Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s net remained intact.

Full-backs Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo were both impressive, but there were moments when their positions were exposed down the flanks and could be again.

Anthony Martial looked a bother for the visitors after he came onto the pitch on Wednesday, and Frenchman could make more of a mark if he started at the Camp Nou next week.

Keeping the deficit down to one goal ended up being a consolation of its own and is a shorter distance than the two-goal advantage PSG took from Old Trafford following their visit.

It’s ominous that Barca have kept back-to-back clean sheets against Espanyol and Atletico Madrid in their past two home games, but a spirited United have shown they can give a closer run for their money.

       

What’s Next?

The two teams will meet at the Camp Nou on Tuesday for their second leg. Prior to that, both teams will return to the field on Saturday as United host West Ham in the Premier League and Barca travel to La Liga’s bottom outfit, Huesca.

      

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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