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imago-sport-1080801285.jpgIPA Sport
Mohamed Mansi

Translated by

Amid Hamza Abdelkarim's struggles: Raphinha rescues Barcelona with a penalty

Nottingham Forest vs Barcelona
Nottingham Forest
Barcelona
Club Friendlies
H. Abdelkarim
Raphinha
England
Spain
Egypt

Barcelona kicked off their triangular tournament in Udine with a dramatic 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

Raphinha settled it. The Brazilian tucked away a penalty deep into stoppage time for the game's only goal.

The newspaper "Marca" ran through the main talking points of a match Barça grew into over the 45 minutes. Forest had bossed the early exchanges, yet Barcelona dug out the win despite an uneven display.

Hansi Flick's side still have plenty of work ahead before they hit peak condition, which is only natural at this stage of pre-season.

The German coach picked a blend of first-teamers and academy graduates. One of the standout calls was handing Egyptian striker Hamza Abdelkarim another start at centre-forward, following his outings against Como and Birmingham.

Fermín López and Raphinha featured for the first time this pre-season, while Karim Adeyemi kept his spot in the starting line-up.

Espart and Bisker, both just 17, filled the two full-back berths. Fariñas operated in midfield.

  • imago-sport-1080801163.jpgIPA Sport

    Hamza Abdelkarim struggles with the physicality of the challenges

    Nottingham started with an advanced line-up and piled pressure on Barcelona's players. The Catalans wasted no time hitting back and pushing forward, even with Forest leaving almost no space.

    Barcelona's midfield struggled to link up with the attacking trio, though flashes of understanding emerged between Adeemi, Raphinha and Fermin. So too with Hamza Abdelkarim, who took the brunt of some physical challenges from Forest's players.

    Two goals against Birmingham had marked out the Egyptian forward, and here he showed the same energy and constant movement. He mixed defensive graft with attacking ambition, never stopping, always calling for the ball.

    Igor Jesus, Forest's biggest attacking threat, put Szczesny under pressure in the 22nd minute. The Polish goalkeeper had come off his line and out of position, but Jesus fired over the crossbar.

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  • imago-sport-1080801096.jpgIPA Sport

    Nottingham pile on the pressure as Barcelona wake up before the end

    The English side carved out the most dangerous chances during the opening half hour of the 45-minute half.

    Barcelona's best effort arrived in the 35th minute. Bryan Fariñas struck from outside the penalty area, only to see his shot rattle the post.

    England's side controlled the match, yet Barcelona began to wake up in the closing minutes.

    Milenković conceded a penalty in stoppage time, handling the ball during a passage of play with Fermín López.

    Raphinha made no mistake from the spot. His finish handed Barcelona the lead, and once again the Brazilian proved decisive for the Catalan side.

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