According to “Varzesh3,” “These are the matches where championships are won or lost. Let’s not waste our efforts.” This was the message the Barcelona coaching staff conveyed to the players before the match at Butarque. They were aware of the difficulty of this game. Leganés has become a real nightmare for Barcelona this season. In fact, no Barcelona player has managed to score against Marko Dmitrović, Leganés’ goalkeeper.

In the first leg, Leganés won 1-0, and last night Barcelona secured a victory, but only thanks to an own goal by Jorge Sáenz. Interestingly, Leganés is the only team this season that has not conceded a single goal from Barcelona’s players, despite Barça having scored 84 goals this season.

In the match on December 15 at the Montjuïc Olympic Stadium, Leganés won 1-0 with a goal from Sergio in the 4th minute. Dmitrović delivered an outstanding performance in that game. At Butarque, he saved all of Barça’s shots but was caught off guard by an accidental deflection from Jorge Sáenz, who tried to intercept Raphinha’s cross to Lewandowski and mistakenly scored an own goal.

With a 1-0 victory at Butarque, Barcelona increased the pressure on Real Madrid, who will face Alavés at Mendizorrotza on Sunday evening. For now, and until that match, Barça leads Real by seven points. Hansi Flick’s team now turns its attention to the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. After the fatigue from the Butarque match and without sufficient rest, they will travel to Dortmund on Monday.