United News of Bangladesh

A chaotic night at Stamford Bridge ended in disaster for Barcelona, who collapsed 3-0 to a ruthless Chelsea after going down to 10 men late in the first half. An own goal from Jules Koundé opened the scoring before Estevão doubled the lead with a brilliant strike. Liam Delap sealed the 3-0 victory with Chelsea’s third. Chelsea could have scored three more, but those efforts were ruled out for offside or handball. Chelsea dominated from the outset and nearly took the lead in the fourth minute. Enzo Fernández put the ball into the Barcelona net from close range, but the referee disallowed it for a handball by defender Wesley Fofana in the buildup. Two minutes later, Ferran Torres squandered a golden opportunity to put Barcelona ahead. Receiving a pass from Lamine Yamal inside the box with only the goalkeeper to beat, the 25-year-old forward inexplicably fired wide from near the penalty spot. That was all for the night for Barça. The home side’s breakthrough came through fortune. In the 27th minute, Marc Cucurella’s cutback caused confusion inside the Barcelona box—Neto’s flick was cleared off the line by Ferran Torres, only for the ball to rebound off Koundé and roll into the net. Barcelona’s troubles deepened just before halftime when captain Ronald Araújo picked up a second yellow card for a foul on Cucurella, leaving his team a man down and visibly shaken. Cristiano Ronaldo expected to escape WC ban as FIFA issues probation with red-card ruling Chelsea struck again shortly after the restart. In the 55th minute, young Brazilian Estevão produced a superb solo effort, bursting into the box, cutting past Eric García and Alejandro Balde, and smashing the ball inside the near post to double the lead. Barcelona coach Hansi Flick responded with changes, sending on Raphinha and Andreas Christensen. But the visitors’ resistance didn’t last long. In the 73rd minute, Liam Delap finished from a Fernández pass inside the area. Although the flag initially went up for offside, VAR confirmed the goal, sealing Barcelona’s defeat. Statistically, Chelsea controlled 55 percent possession, took 15 shots and hit the target six times. Barcelona managed only five attempts, with just two on goal. Robert Sánchez preserved Chelsea’s clean sheet with a brilliant save to deny Raphinha in the 81st minute—Barcelona’s only real threat after going down to 10. Chelsea now sit on 10 points after five group-stage games, while Barcelona, suffering their second defeat, drop to 15th with seven points in a disappointing campaign. After arriving in London on the back of a 4-0 La Liga win over Athletic Bilbao, the Catalan leave bruised, beaten and searching for answers ahead of Saturday’s league clash with Alavés.

Ronald Araujo struck a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Barcelona edged Girona 2–1 in La Liga on Saturday, but head coach Hansi Flick’s red card late in the match cast a shadow over the victory ahead of next week’s El Clasico. The match appeared to be heading for a draw when Araujo, who came on in the 82nd minute, slid in to convert a cut-back from Frenkie de Jong in the third minute of added time. The defender ripped off his shirt in celebration as the home crowd erupted at the Olympic Stadium. Earlier, Pedri had given Barcelona the lead in the 13th minute with a fine low finish after combining with Lamine Yamal. Girona levelled in the 20th minute through Belgian midfielder Alex Witsel, who found the net with a spectacular bicycle kick following a corner. Messi breaks another record in international football Barcelona dominated possession, enjoying 68 percent of the ball and registering 27 shots, nine of them on target. Girona had 11 attempts, with four on goal. Despite creating several chances in the second half, the hosts were repeatedly denied by the Girona goalkeeper until Araujo’s late winner. The victory ended Barcelona’s run of two straight defeats in all competitions, including losses to PSG in the Champions League and Sevilla in La Liga before the international break. With the win, the defending champions moved one point clear at the top with 22 points from nine matches. Real Madrid, second with 21 points from a game in hand, can regain the lead if they beat Getafe on Sunday. Ronaldo breaks new record as Hungary hold Portugal in WC qualifier However, Barcelona’s celebrations were slightly dampened as head coach Flick received a second yellow card for dissent just before Araujo’s goal, ruling him out of the season’s first El Clásico against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.