Gerald Pique sets record as Barcelona revived Champions League hopes

Ronald Koeman men won their first game of the Champions League competition at home when they hosted Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday.

The Catalans are on course to revive their Champions League hopes after humiliating defeats to Bayern Munich at home and Benfica.

Gérard Piqué; Photo Credit – Sportsbugz

Gerald Pique’s 36th-minute goal – his 16th in the Champions League made the difference hence becoming the joint highest scoring defender in the competition’s history gave them a lifeline.

Barcelona now advances to the third spot a point behind Benfica who were crushed 4-0 by Bayern Munich who have not lost any of their qualification matches so far, scoring 12 goals in three matches.

Speaking after the match, Gerald Pique said he was happy for the win as it gives them a chance to fight for a spot going forward.

“After the first two group games, with no points and no goals, this victory was so important to give ourselves a chance to be in the mix until the end of the group stage,” Pique said.

Memphis Depay; Photo Credit – MARCA

For the first time this season, Barcelona enjoyed themselves to a second consecutive win following a win against Valencia in their La Liga fixture last Sunday and a confident enough to kick start their week again as they wait to play Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

“We can’t waste so many opportunities, we were playing for our lives,” Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said. “We could have scored more.”

Pique opened the scoring with a one-time finish from close range after a cross by Jordi Alba, joining former Real Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos as the top-scoring defender in the Champions League.

Pique had been tied with former Madrid central defenders Sergio Ramos and Ivan Helguera with 15 goals.

“For a defender, he has scored a lot of goals,” Alba said of Pique. “I asked him to thank me for it … As a kid, he loved to go up and play as a striker so he’s a good finisher.”

Pique, 34, also became the oldest Champions League scorer for the Catalan club, surpassing Sylvinho, who was 19 days younger when he netted against Shakhtar Donetsk in 2008.

Striker Sergio Aguero came off the bench for the final 15 minutes to replace Memphis Depay and make his second appearance for Barcelona since joining the club from Manchester City this season.

Barcelona had never lost more than two group-stage games since 1997-98.

Dynamo had opened with a home draw against Benfica before losing 5-0 at Bayern in a result that equaled their heaviest defeat in a UEFA club competition.