Club Brugge and Barcelona produced a breathtaking Champions League encounter that ended in a 3-3 draw, with the visitors coming from behind three times. The home side struck first after only six minutes when Carlos Forbs raced down the right and squared for Nicolo Tresoldi to tap in.
Club Brugge and Barcelona produced a breathtaking Champions League encounter that ended in a 3-3 draw, with the visitors coming from behind three times. The home side struck first after only six minutes when Carlos Forbs raced down the right and squared for Nicolo Tresoldi to tap in.
Barcelona responded almost instantly as Ferran Torres converted Fermin Lopez’s low cross. Fermin then came close again, curling a fine effort against the post – the first of several occasions when the Catalans were denied by the frame of the goal.
Moments later, Brugge regained the lead when their high pressing caught Barcelona’s defense off guard. Christos Tzolis slipped a neat pass through to Forbs, who calmly finished past Wojciech Szczesny to make it 2-1.
The visitors piled on the pressure, with Jules Kounde striking the crossbar and Eric Garcia unleashing a thunderous drive from a distance that also clipped the woodwork.
Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal then produced a moment of magic to level the score again. The winger danced past two defenders, exchanged passes with Dani Olmo, skipped past another challenge, and rolled the ball into the far corner for a magnificent goal.
Forbs, who failed to score during his loan spell at Wolves last season, had the chance to complete a hat trick but missed badly. Moments later, he redeemed himself by racing onto Hans Vanaken’s through ball and delicately lifting his shot over Szczesny for his second of the night.
The Belgian side thought they could extend their lead when referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot after Alejandro Balde’s challenge on Forbs. However, the penalty was overturned following a VAR review.
That reprieve allowed Barcelona to equalize again when Yamal’s dangerous delivery was inadvertently headed into his own net by Tzolis.
In stoppage time, Brugge believed they had secured all three points when Romeo Vermant slid in on Szczesny, stole possession, and scored into an open goal. But VAR once more intervened, ruling that Vermant had tripped the goalkeeper in the process.
The final whistle brought both relief and frustration. Club Brugge, who had led three times and seen a penalty cancelled, felt hard done by, while Barcelona were left wondering how they had not snatched victory after hitting the woodwork three times.
Forbs called it a “magical night,” adding that the team had executed their plan perfectly against Barcelona’s high defensive line. The 21-year-old Portuguese forward celebrated his first two goals in the competition and admitted he “should have scored another.”
Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, though, criticized his side’s defending: “It was too easy to score against us. We had no pressure on the ball. We must improve. Possession alone doesn’t win matches.”
Both teams ended with an identical expected goals figure of 2.14, highlighting the balance of an extraordinary contest that leaves Barcelona on seven points and Brugge on four after four matches.
