Barcelona boss Hansi Flick admitted he was happier with the result than the performance after seeing his team held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie.
The visitors looked to be heading for a first leg defeat after Harvey Barnes scored late on. However, a Lamine Yamal penalty rescued a point and gave Barcelona a good result to take back to Catalunya.
Here’s what Flick had to say after the game:
“I’m happier with the result. We didn’t play well with the ball.
Without it, we were good, we defended together as a team. That was positive. It wasn’t easy playing in this stadium, with that pressure and atmosphere. We made a lot of mistakes under that pressure, and we need to improve,” he said.
“We’ve had a lot of matches. Pedri was coming back, Bernal was also returning from a long injury… we have to improve. We have to keep playing and the positive thing is the result. After being down by a goal, it was fantastic to get this draw. We’re sure to see a different kind of Barça game at the Camp Nou.”
Barcelona now head home for a game against Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga before they welcome Newcastle for the second leg next week.
