Dubai Telegraph - Barcelona rout Red Star Belgrade in Champions League

EUR -
AED 3.848545
AFN 71.691579
ALL 98.249937
AMD 409.166575
ANG 1.893257
AOA 955.599003
ARS 1055.407782
AUD 1.618233
AWG 1.888671
AZN 1.775894
BAM 1.954208
BBD 2.120972
BDT 125.527709
BGN 1.956857
BHD 0.394942
BIF 3103.371102
BMD 1.047806
BND 1.414447
BOB 7.259119
BRL 6.089819
BSD 1.050444
BTN 88.546844
BWP 14.331322
BYN 3.437799
BYR 20537.000655
BZD 2.117474
CAD 1.474792
CDF 3008.251544
CHF 0.928047
CLF 0.037127
CLP 1024.438264
CNY 7.598742
CNH 7.61493
COP 4614.328749
CRC 536.767717
CUC 1.047806
CUP 27.766863
CVE 110.17522
CZK 25.275811
DJF 187.057569
DKK 7.459016
DOP 63.328998
DZD 140.370377
EGP 51.960297
ERN 15.717092
ETB 131.454579
FJD 2.383078
FKP 0.827051
GBP 0.833698
GEL 2.860493
GGP 0.827051
GHS 16.49256
GIP 0.827051
GMD 74.394534
GNF 9051.623945
GTQ 8.107393
GYD 219.770911
HKD 8.154148
HNL 26.56835
HRK 7.474273
HTG 137.868968
HUF 410.489547
IDR 16691.290111
ILS 3.822245
IMP 0.827051
INR 88.50661
IQD 1376.078651
IRR 44099.537966
ISK 145.100182
JEP 0.827051
JMD 165.874831
JOD 0.743211
JPY 159.611924
KES 135.848258
KGS 90.922635
KHR 4216.604184
KMF 491.368396
KPW 943.025143
KRW 1464.445266
KWD 0.322399
KYD 0.875387
KZT 524.512581
LAK 22987.267963
LBP 94069.543905
LKR 305.900725
LRD 188.556348
LSL 19.007811
LTL 3.093899
LVL 0.633807
LYD 5.139812
MAD 10.530419
MDL 19.197356
MGA 4905.002974
MKD 61.516555
MMK 3403.233522
MNT 3560.445261
MOP 8.420139
MRU 41.782351
MUR 49.068632
MVR 16.188295
MWK 1821.51567
MXN 21.697105
MYR 4.664829
MZN 66.954932
NAD 19.007811
NGN 1768.183741
NIO 38.658498
NOK 11.705582
NPR 141.674551
NZD 1.786084
OMR 0.403391
PAB 1.050449
PEN 3.96397
PGK 4.234549
PHP 61.708975
PKR 291.872856
PLN 4.30552
PYG 8197.320106
QAR 3.830079
RON 4.977184
RSD 117.018519
RUB 110.536685
RWF 1447.320597
SAR 3.93656
SBD 8.791712
SCR 13.771247
SDG 630.260568
SEK 11.521058
SGD 1.411735
SHP 0.827051
SLE 23.785235
SLL 21971.976148
SOS 600.310814
SRD 37.097566
STD 21687.471914
SVC 9.19151
SYP 2632.644252
SZL 19.013506
THB 36.390236
TJS 11.224253
TMT 3.6778
TND 3.319495
TOP 2.454066
TRY 36.318868
TTD 7.14218
TWD 34.115941
TZS 2771.447073
UAH 43.645933
UGX 3891.828598
USD 1.047806
UYU 44.763523
UZS 13461.030774
VES 48.927674
VND 26624.75442
VUV 124.397652
WST 2.925046
XAF 655.422904
XAG 0.034319
XAU 0.000397
XCD 2.831748
XDR 0.803545
XOF 655.422904
XPF 119.331742
YER 261.872986
ZAR 19.022224
ZMK 9431.514109
ZMW 28.966396
ZWL 337.393155
  • RIO

    -0.9500

    62.03

    -1.53%

  • BTI

    0.3800

    37.71

    +1.01%

  • CMSC

    -0.1600

    24.57

    -0.65%

  • SCS

    -0.1800

    13.54

    -1.33%

  • NGG

    -0.4300

    62.83

    -0.68%

  • BP

    -0.3600

    28.96

    -1.24%

  • CMSD

    -0.1500

    24.43

    -0.61%

  • RBGPF

    60.1000

    60.1

    +100%

  • BCC

    -4.0900

    148.41

    -2.76%

  • BCE

    -0.3900

    26.63

    -1.46%

  • GSK

    -0.1300

    34.02

    -0.38%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0200

    6.78

    -0.29%

  • RELX

    0.2400

    46.81

    +0.51%

  • VOD

    -0.0500

    8.86

    -0.56%

  • JRI

    -0.1300

    13.24

    -0.98%

  • AZN

    -0.0400

    66.36

    -0.06%

Barcelona rout Red Star Belgrade in Champions League
Barcelona rout Red Star Belgrade in Champions League / Photo: Andrej ISAKOVIC - AFP

Barcelona rout Red Star Belgrade in Champions League

Robert Lewandowski struck twice as in-form Barcelona thrashed Red Star Belgrade 5-2 to stay in the upper echelons of the Champions League group table on Wednesday.

Text size:

The veteran striker climbed to 99 career goals in the competition, while Inigo Martinez, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez also netted as Barcelona won comfortably in Serbia.

After thrashing Bayern Munich 4-1 in their prior European outing, Hansi Flick's side followed that up with a seventh straight victory across all competitions.

In that winning run Barcelona have scored at least three times in each game and were similarly lethal at the Rajko Mitic stadium.

Fit again after injury, Frenkie de Jong started a match for the first time since April for Barcelona but Flick mostly selected his regular first choice side.

The German coach operates with an extremely high defensive line that has frustrated Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in recent weeks and after four minutes Red Star had a goal ruled out for offside.

Timi Elsnik broke in behind the defence and finished but had strayed beyond the last defender.

Barcelona took the lead after 13 minutes with Martinez heading home superbly from Raphinha's dangerous free-kick.

The Brazilian winger should have scored the second himself but lashed wildly over after a sensational ball from Lamine Yamal sent him racing in on goal, and also hit the post directly from a corner kick.

Red Star surprised La Liga leaders Barca by hitting back in the 27th minute when Silas got the better of the offside trap and clipped a finish past the onrushing Inaki Pena.

Gerard Martin, starting at left-back in place of Alejandro Balde in a rare rotation from the coach, was to blame for playing the Congolese forward onside.

- Racking up goals -

Barcelona nudged their way in front shortly before the break when Lewandowski reacted quickest to finish the rebound after Raphinha's low drive hit the post.

The 36-year-old wasted a fine chance to add another when Raphinha teed him up but was able to bundle home his second from point blank range after 53 minutes when Jules Kounde's cross found him.

It was the Polish striker's 19th goal of the season in all competitions across 16 matches, and his fifth in four European games.

Only former Barcelona great Lionel Messi and Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo have scored more in the competition's history than Lewandowski, one short of a century.

Raphinha stroked home the fourth with a low effort from the edge of the box after more good work by Kounde, with Flick soon bringing him and Pedri off for a rest.

Barcelona's 17-year-old centre-back Pau Cubarsi was forced off after sustaining a cut just below his eye from a high boot, on a rare negative note for the Catalans.

Kounde completed a hat-trick of assists by cutting the ball back to substitute Fermin Lopez to slot the team's fifth goal past Marko Ilic.

Milson pulled another goal back for the hosts with a fine curling finish past Inaki Pena to offer slight consolation to the hosts.

Lopez hit the bar with a fine effort of his own in the final stages but despite angling for more, Barcelona finished with five goals for the fourth time this season.

K.Al-Zaabi--DT