FC Barcelona Coach Xavi Delighted With Team After Porto Win

FC Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez praised his team for their 2-1 comeback win over Porto on Wednesday, which guaranteed passage to the Champions League knockout phase for the first time since 2021.

Amid recent criticism and questions about whether he is the right man to lead the Catalans, however, the legendary midfielder pointed out that “problems are never solved” at Barca.

Fans in the Montjuic Stadium and beyond feared the worst when Pepe
PEPE
put the Portuguese visitors 1-0 up on the half hour mark.

Just a couple of minutes later, however, Joao Cancelo equalized ahead of Joao Felix sealing three points after the break with a clever strike which proved to be the winner.

Though they still have to play Royal Antwerp next month, Barca have effectively won Group H if they can get at least a draw in Belgium and could possibly still claim top honours on goal difference even with an unlikely loss.

Xavi was clearly happy with his troops for avenging back-to-back failures to reach the last 16, and lavished praise on them for the getting the job done post-match.

“I”m very happy, and happy for the team and the club,” Xavi told local broadcaster Movistar in Spain.

“We needed it, above all after two years of experiencing the misfortune of playing in the Europa League.

“We played a good game against a great team. We reacted well, with a winning mentality. The equalizer was very good for us and we were at a good level in the second half,” the Blaugrana legend added.

Xavi explained that taking advantage of the free man in Cancelo, who was the Player of the Match with a goal and an assist from left back, was the key to victory.

He also singled out an “extraordinary” Inaki Pena, who demonstrated “tremendous personality”, for doing a stellar job as the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s stand-in.

“It was a big stage and against the strongest opponent in the group. [He was oustanding] not only with the stops [he made], but also in the construction of the game,” Xavi noted.

Wanting to enjoy the moment before the pressure returns in La Liga with a visit from Atletico Madrid on Sunday, Xavi wasn’t naive enough to believe that the victory will erase doubts that have arisen around his performance.

“Problems are never solved at Barca,” he remarked with a laugh, before stressing that today “was a day to congratulate the club and the team” without worrying about what lies ahead.