La Masia is back at the top of Europe. Barça's Juvenil A has qualified for the UEFA Youth League final after defeating AZ Alkmaar 1-0, one of the tournament's big favorites. The Dutch team arrived with an impressive streak of 24 matches without losing in the competition and had eliminated strong opponents like Benfica, Real Madrid, and Manchester City.
The blaugrana team had two significant absences. Jan Virgili and Jofre Torrents, involved with Barça Atlètic, are being crucial in the fight to stay in 1ª RFEF. Despite this, Juliano Belletti's boys delivered a collective performance that consolidates the style and talent of a generation that excites.
A Dream Start
The match couldn't have started better for the culés. Minute 6, a precise pass from Swiss center-back Eman Kospo, in pure Cubarsí style, found Juan Hernández on the wing. The winger faced up, slipped between two defenders, and won a penalty that he himself converted to make it 0-1.
From there, it was a blaugrana monologue in the first half. AZ barely troubled the blaugrana defense. The only Dutch threat came after a corner that Landry Farré cleared off the line.
Barça had several chances to extend the lead. The clearest came in the 35th minute when Hugo Alba found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper after a great play by Ibrahim Diarra, but his shot missed the target.
The player from Mali was the bad news of the match. The midfielder had to be stretchered off after an unfortunate incident where he stumbled with an opponent.
Juan Hernández, Yaakobishvili, and Xavi Espart, the Best
The script changed in the second half, with a more incisive AZ, though without success. But in the decisive moments, Aron Yaakobishvili appeared again.
Saving his team once more with remarkable saves, like the one he made after a free-kick shot, hard and low, where goalkeepers usually struggle the most. Except him.
He also showed his Barça DNA. With spectacular long passes, he occasionally left Juan Hernández alone to face his opponent.
Precisely, Juan Hernández was the MVP of the match. He successfully replaced Jan Virgili, always appearing in transitions and being decisive with his goal. He was the main threat for Barça, giving his all in every action until he left with cramps in the final minutes.
Special mention also for Xavi Espart. The small full-back gave a lesson in quality and tactical intelligence in both areas. Very active with the ball, he made high-level runs and proved to be, despite his position, one of the most technically skilled players on the team.
The Last Step, Trabzonspor
Next Monday at 6:00 PM, they will face the surprising Trabzonspor, the first Turkish team to play in a final and entirely composed of national footballers. A tough team that will make it very difficult and perfectly represents what Turkish soccer is.
Barça will seek to become the club with the most titles in the competition, adding their third trophy after those won in 2014 and 2018. The blaugranas want to show the way to Flick's team. If they achieve victory, they would also become the only club in history to be European champions with both the first team and the youth team.