Barcelona 2-1 Al-Ahli: hosts take decisive moments in friendly
Barcelona beat Al-Ahli 2-1 in a friendly at the Nou Camp. Three goals decided the match. The hosts took the decisive moments.
Al-Ahli opened the scoring through H. Abdelkarim in the 30th minute. Raphinha levelled from the penalty spot before half-time, and by then the visitors were already feeling the pressure of the venue.
Zizo broke Barcelona's resistance in the 51st minute. The hosts responded with a wave of six changes at the break, bringing on Fermin and Espart among others. And here's the thing — the substitution pattern shifted the game's rhythm.
Barcelona pushed for an equaliser through the final quarter-hour. They missed a penalty in the 91st minute. To be fair, Al-Ahli defended deep.
The statistics tell you what the eye saw. Barcelona held 70 percent possession and registered 146 attacks against 35. They created six big chances but could only find one goal. The visitors shot with 50 percent accuracy but lacked the volume to trouble the goalkeeper.
This was the outcome we predicted — a home win with 85 percent confidence. Barcelona controlled the spaces and took their moment. Al-Ahli showed character but couldn't hold on through the full 90 minutes.