BARCELONA’S extraordinary comeback just makes you have faith that anything is possible in football.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The biggest international club of our generation showing why it is one of the great teams of all time.
The belief, the poise and composure, not only to fight their way from a four-nil deficit against Paris St Germain after the first European Champions League leg, but to deliver three goals in the final minutes to seal their place in the final eight.
To lead three-nil, concede a potentially vital away goal and then finish the way they did at the end just leaves players and fans in awe.
From Neymar’s free-kick, to his pinpoint pass to Sergi Roberto in the fifth minute of injury time to secure a 6-1 win and 6-5 on aggregate, it’s everything you admire about Barcelona.
They are just never beaten.
It’s inspirational.
Hopefully a little bit of that spirit can rub off on us for the trip to Korea this week.
It’s been a tough time in the Asian Champions League for all the Australian teams and definitely for the Wanderers.
But with both us and Seoul needing to win to stay alive, it’s obviously one of the biggest games of our season.
It’s difficult, with a relatively small squad, handling A-League and ACL commitments, against some of these cashed-up Asian giants.
Which is part of the reason sustainable expansion in the A-League is important, to boost investment in football in Australia and raise the salary cap and quality along the way. The Wanderers are the model of success from which expansion clubs must build from and much of it is a result of capturing the interest of the community.
It was interesting to see the Southern Expansion bid launched this week, which would include the Illawarra, as well as Sutherland and St George.
Investment is crucial, but it’s equally important any team with Wollongong involved has the right pathway and I still think the region is ready for a team of its own in the competition.
Having new money and new teams in the competition will undoubtedly help the A-League’s cause in Asia and boost chances of success in the ACL. These issues must be addressed sooner rather than later. But for now, Wednesday night is all about producing the tenacity we expect from this Wanderers team. There are crucial days ahead for us.
Two of our final three legs in our ACL group are at home, which presents an opportunity if we can come back from Seoul with three points this week.
Then with games against Wellington and Newcastle coming up, and they play each other in between, we will know our A-League fate soon rather than later.
Momentum is such an important factor and wins in March can push us deep into the finals. When we look across the fence at Sydney FC, they thoroughly deserve the Premiers Plate.
They’ve had an outstanding season and we’re just glad it was us who ended their winning run. Beating them in the derby will be a moment we continue to look back on and maintain belief we can make a run towards the grand final.
After all, Barcelona showed us anything can happen
After all, Barcelona showed us anything can happen.
- ASIAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Wednesday
(9.30pm AEDT)
FC SEOUL v WESTERN SYDNEY WANDERERS
TV: Live on Fox Sports 3
Seoul World Cup Stadium
Group F: URAWA RED DIAMONDS 6 (+7), SHANGHAI SIPG 6 (+5), FC Seoul 0 (-4), Western Sydney Wanderers 0 (-8)
