Prague Sting: Barcelona Hit by a Historic European Defeat

Early setback, historic slide for Barca

Slavia Prague stunned Barcelona with an early goal on Wednesday in the Champions League, delivering Barca a historic negative mark in continental play.

The Czech side needed only ten minutes to take the lead, after a well-timed cross found Vasyl Kosij unmarked in the box.

Kosij finished with composure as the ball landed in the crowded six-yard area, exposing a momentary defensive lapse by Barca.

According to Opta, Barcelona have conceded in ten consecutive Champions League matches, the first time the club has done so in the competition's history.

Mundo Deportivo noted that Barca conceded the opening goal for the 13th time in all competitions this season, a worrying trend.

In Europe, Barca now trail in four straight matches after setbacks against Club Brugge (3-3), Chelsea (3-0) and Eintracht Frankfurt (2-1) at Camp Nou.

In La Liga, the pattern is clear as well, with Barca collecting six victories and suffering three defeats in games where the opposition opened the scoring.

They did take three points in several games when behind, against Levante, Oviedo, Real Sociedad, Alavés, Atlético Madrid and Betis.

Conversely, Barca could not overturn deficits against Sevilla (4-1), Real Madrid (2-1) and Real Sociedad (2-1).

Punchline 1: If defending were a sport, Barca would be a club that forgot the playbook at home. Punchline 2: Maybe their best tactic this season is waiting for the other team to bite first — turns out they’re the snack.