Barcelona appears destined for an early UEFA Champions League exit after Wednesday’s 3-3 draw with Inter Milan left them needing a miracle to progress.
Barca boss Xavi Hernandez conceded the result had made their hopes of progress “very difficult”.
The Blaugrana needed three points from Wednesday’s game at Camp Nou to realistically stay in the hunt, sitting three points behind Inter coming in the fixture, with Bayern Munich clear at the top of Group C and set to easily account for Viktoria Plzen.
After Ousmane Dembele had the Blaugrana up at the break, Inter claimed the lead after goals from Nicolo Barella] and Lautaro Martinez.
With Barca throwing numbers forward, Robert Lewandowski levelled it up in the 82nd minute, before Inter re-claimed the lead from Robin Gosens. But Lewandowski scored again to earn a draw.
The draw means Bayern are top of the group with 12 points, followed by Inter on seven and Barca on four after four games. Inter will edge the head-to-head against Barca, having won in Milan, meaning the Nerazzurri only need one more win to clinch their progress.
Both Barca and Inter will play group whipping boys Plzen and Bayern in their final two fixtures.
“If you don’t beat Inter at home you don’t deserve to go on,” Xavi told reporters. “Now it doesn’t depend on us anymore, we don’t deserve to continue in the Champions League. It is a hard blow, very hard. The word would be cruel.
“We must go on and change our mindset for La Liga. The Champions League has become very difficult.
“Negative evaluation. This Champions League is being cruel to us. We conceded a lot in the second half but the first was excellent.
“The first goal is a clear error from the defensive line that we had talked about. The second Since Munich, via Milan, it has been cruel. But that is the Champions League.
“We should have carried out the match from the first half, but it was not to be.”
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