Barcelona's Strange Win at Butarque

LEGANES, SUNDAY — Barcelona secured an unusual 1-0 victory against the host team Leganes at Butarque Stadium, Sunday (13/4/2025) early morning WIB. Despite having the most productive attacking line in Europe, they struggled to score against a team in the relegation zone. Barca did manage to secure all three points, but in an unconventional manner—thanks to an own goal.

A self-goal by Leganes defender Jorge Saenz became the sole testament to the silence of Barca's attacking line. After overpowering German giants Borussia Dortmund with four unanswered goals in the previous match, no one expected Barca to struggle so much in breaking through Leganes' defense.

"We know what kind of situation we will face. You can't always win by a five-goal margin. Knowing how to defend and win matches moving forward is very important," said Barca's center-back, Inigo Martinez, as quoted by Diario AS.

Deploying the attacking trio of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha from the start did not guarantee an easy victory for Barca. Leganes is well aware that Barca is currently the most prolific team in Europe, having scored 145 goals in 48 matches across all competitions. Moreover, Leganes, who are struggling in the relegation zone, are no match for Barca.

Therefore, they were not naive and tried to defend as tightly as possible in a 4-5-1 formation. Stacking four defenders and five midfielders plus defensive depth when not in possession successfully blocked Barca's productivity.

On the other hand, Barca, who rely on direct balls, were also unable to move due to Leganes' low defensive line. Proven in the first half, Barca failed to release a single shot on target. According to Opta's records, this is the second time Barca has failed to release a single shot on target in the first half since facing Real Sociedad in November 2024.

Leganes' tight defense forced Barca players to distribute the ball only through a combination of short and long passes. While the number of shots on target decreased, Barca's number of passes was relatively high, reaching 330 passes compared to Leganes' 99.

The decisive goal for Barca's victory was scored in the 48th minute. It was not due to the actions of Lewandowski, Raphinha, or Yamal, but rather an error in anticipating Saenz's cross. The goal originated from Leganes' attempt to build an attack, which Barca managed to thwart early on. This resulted in Leganes' defense not yet returning to its optimal formation.

Raphinha, who was dribbling the ball, sent a cross to Lewandowski in the penalty box. Saenz, realizing how dangerous Lewandowski could be, attempted to intercept the pass but ended up sending the ball into his own net.

Taking advantage of an opponent's own goal is not a common way for Barca to win. This narrow victory also felt a bit strange for the "Blaugrana" who have always been synonymous with direct play and abundant goals. Moreover, in the middle of the week, Barca fans had just been treated to a parade of four goals without reply against Dortmund in the Champions League match.

Barca's center-back, Eric Garcia, stated that Leganes is not a team that is easy to defeat. They always know how to challenge the giant teams in Spain. Before giving Barca a hard time, Leganes put up a great fight against Real Madrid. In their first meeting at Barca's home ground, Leganes even managed to steal a victory.

“This stadium (Butarque) is difficult to play against. These teams are fighting to avoid relegation. I think they showed it tonight. They have a good level. I think the most important thing today was knowing how to compete,” Eric said.

Barca coach Hansi Flick does not care how his team achieves victory. From the start, Flick did not mind how his team played as long as they could secure full points. Flick believes that a team will be remembered by the trophies they win, not by how they play.

"It was a tough game. These are three important points for us. I am very proud of my team, once again. What we have done in the last few months is incredible," Flick said.

Flick's words make sense considering Barca are now moving further away from their eternal rivals, Real Madrid, in second place. Three points from Leganes widen the gap between the two teams to seven points. Barca may be labeled as having achieved a strange victory but that does not take away from the fact that they have now managed to put more pressure on Real.