Flick Not Satisfied with Barcelona's Performance Despite Big Win Over Copenhagen

SadaNews - The head coach of FC Barcelona, Hansi Flick, expressed his satisfaction with achieving the goal of direct qualification for the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, despite his total dissatisfaction with the level the team displayed in their last match, which ended in a 4-1 victory over Copenhagen on Wednesday.

The German coach confirmed in statements reported by Barcelona's official website: "I am not happy; the first half was not good at all, and we need to start matches strongly from the beginning."

He explained that the team struggled defensively during the first half, which led to conceding an early goal, but he praised the players' reaction in the second half.

He said: "We were much better in the second half thanks to some small adjustments. Now we have two fewer matches in our schedule, and finishing the competition in fifth place is great. The exit of major teams shows how difficult this version of the continental tournament is, but I only focus on my team."

Flick praised young star Lamine Yamal for his ability to handle tight marking, saying: "Yamal adapts excellently even though opponents sometimes assign three players to mark him, and he has improved a lot in defensive aspects; he is a very important player for us."

He also commended player Marc Bernal, describing him as an "exceptional player" with tremendous technical abilities, while noting that he still needs to improve his physical condition after the injury he previously suffered.

Barcelona Turns the Score Around

Barcelona turned around an early deficit against Copenhagen to secure a comprehensive 4-1 victory, concluding the group stage of the UEFA Champions League in a match that showed a clear transformation in performance between the two halves.

The Danish team took an early lead in the fourth minute through their striker Dadson, before Barcelona regained their balance in the second half, where Robert Lewandowski equalized following a decisive pass from Lamine Yamal, who later scored the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute.

Raphinha added the third goal from a penalty kick before Marcus Rashford concluded the Katalan team's scoring with a direct free kick in injury time.

Source: Al Jazeera