In the Europa League
Manchester United Football Club
Eliminated Barcelona, suffered their first consecutive loss of the season in La Liga in the early hours of Monday (27), going down 0-1 away to Emilia. Despite the loss, Barcelona still has a seven-point lead over second-placed
Real Madrid (soccer team)
. After the game, coach Shavi heavily criticized the performance of his players, saying it was the worst game of the season.
Barcelona continued to send Robert Lewandowski to play as the main attacker in this match, however, the team's monotonous passing tactics did not pose an effective threat against Emilia's tight defense. Barcelona's 47 passes in the match set a new record for the number of passes in an away match since the 2005/06 season. Besides failing to score, Barcelona conceded a goal in the 24th minute and lost the match 0-1.
Coach Xavi said after the game, "I'm very angry, this game was the worst of the season, especially in the first half, the team lacked intensity, rhythm and desire to win, we didn't deserve to lose this game." Xavi himself received a yellow card for protesting against the decision, and with the number of yellow cards accumulated by midfielder Gavi, both will miss next week's league match against Valencia due to yellow card accumulation. Meanwhile, Barcelona have a midweek clash next week with
Real Madrid (soccer team)
The Battle of the West Cup.
