The step was too high: Stade Brestois, undefeated after four days of the Champions League, was brought back to earth on Tuesday by FC Barcelona (3-0), carried by its star scorer Robert Lewandowski, author of his 100th and 101st goals in C1.
They finally only believed it for about ten minutes. Time for the 3,000 Brest supporters to give their voice in the Montjuic Olympic stadium for this European meetingwhich most would not have even dared to dream of barely a year ago, and for the colossus Ludovic Ajorque to highlight his deflection game.
Time, too, for Dutch goalkeeper Marco Bizot, vital during the success in Salzburg (4-0), does not cause a penalty by hitting in the air Robert Lewandowskiauthor without trembling of the 100th goal of his career in the Champions League from nine meters (10th, 1-0), becoming the third player to cross this bar after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
The 21st goal in 19 matches in all competitions for the 36-year-old Polish striker, has become lethal again since the arrival this summer of German coach Hansi Flick, his former coach at Bayernwho added a 22nd, and therefore a 101st in C1, at the very end of the match (90th + 2, 3-0) to reward the outrageous domination of the Catalans in the game, ended in a pass to ten in the Breton camp .
Bizot and Chardonnet powerless
Stifled in their own camp, with no other possibility of getting out of the Catalan pressing than by looking for their attackers on long ballsthe Brestois never actually existed in the match, apart from brief shivers finally signaled offside, including a goal refused to Mathias Pereira Lage (77th).
The score may even seem flattering for Eric Roy’s men, who spent the entire match running behind the ball, overwhelmed by the Catalan technical qualityplayed by Pedri, irresistible in midfield.
Bizot, then captain Brendan Chardonnet, delayed the deadline by interposing in turn in front of the young Fermin Lopez (24th, 40th, 61st), but they could do nothing against the tightrope walk of European champion Dani Olmo, author of the break goal on the hour mark (66th, 2- 0), and the new perfect finish from Lewandowski (90th + 2, 3-0).
No new feat therefore for French football, which had almost taken a liking to it after Lille’s successes against Real Madrid and Atlético, nor for the Brestois who still remain well placed in the race for the play-offs in ninth place, with ten points in five days.
They will now have two opportunities to grab points to ensure historic qualificationface to PSV Eindhoven and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Exemplary in their yard, the supporters of SB29 will at least be able to say that they were there, in Barcelona, to support their team against a great European team. Before dreaming of a new feat against another giant, Real Madrid, in 2025.
