Barcelona left it late against Borussia Monchengladbach as they came back from behind to win 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Gladbach felt they should’ve been awarded an early penalty when Thorgan Hazard broke down the right but saw his cross blocked by Gerard Pique’s hand and the referee leave his whistle hanging around his neck.
Luis Suarez then controlled a high ball in the hosts’ box but sliced his volley just wide of the far post, and Barca were left to rue that miss as Sergio Busquets was caught in possession near the centre-circle.
Gladbach took full advantage of the resulting counterattack through Hazard, who tapped home from Mahmoud Dahoud’s delicately-delightful through ball.
Ivan Rakitic squared to Suarez for another volley, but despite it hitting the target this time, Yann Sommer made a smart stop.
However, Sommer could do little about Barca’s equaliser as Neymar chipped the ball over the top of the Germans’ defence, which substitute Arda Turan read and fired into the roof of the goalkeeper’s net.
From having virtually nothing to do for best part of an hour, Sommer’s night became a nightmare, the custodian unable to hold Suarez’s volley from a Neymar corner and allowing Gerard Pique to bundle the winner over the line.
There was still time for the Swiss to be lobbed from outside his box as Arda tried his luck with a chipped effort, but the former backpedalled furiously to tip it over.
Borussia Monchengladbach 1-2 Barcelona
Hazard 34 (BM), Arda 65, Pique 73 (B)
Borussia Monchengladbach: Sommer; Korb, Christensen, Elvedi, Wendt; Kramer, Dahoud; Traore, Stindl (Hahn 83), Hazard (Herrmann 80); Raffael (Johnson 48)
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic (Arda 65), Busquets, Iniesta; Suarez, Alcacer (Rafinha 54), Neymar
Referee: Skomina [SLO]
