FC Barcelona is one of the best known football teams in the world thanks to its stunning displays of top class soccer action and with players such as Lionel Messi, demand for Barcelona football tickets at the Nou Camp is always high.
Barça’s stadium was constructed in 1957 and holds nearly 99,000 spectators making it the largest stadium in Europe and tenth in the world. While the stadium can seem empty when playing some less well known clubs, when it is full the roar of the crowd really charges the stadium with an atmosphere so electric it almost crackles.
Barcelona’s ticketing policy allows season ticket holders to sell their tickets back to the club for resale, but it means that it is often difficult to obtain tickets seated next to each other direct from the club. However, a variety of agencies have guaranteed allocations from the club that are provided in continuous blocks.
The Nou Camp is actually called “Camp Nou”, which means New Field in Catalan. Built between 1954 and 1957, the first match was played against a Warsaw selection in September 1957 which FC Barcelona won 4-2. Current remodelling plans include 13,500 more seats to make the Nou Camp the largest football stadium in the world, adding cover for at least 50 percent of seats improving its external appearance.
It also has a popular museum, which opened in 1984, and is claimed to be the most popular in Barcelona with 1.2 million visitors each year.
More information: Barcelona Football Tickets
Barcelona made it through to the Copa del Rey semifinal last night after a hard fought battle with Real Madrid ended in a 2-2 draw.
Madrid started the match fired up and going all out to score early on. However, despite being in full attack mode they never quite managed to get the ball into the net, despite coming close on several occasions.
Özil came close to scoring for the visitors after 20 minutes from 30 metres out. The ball went over Pinto’s head, struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced out just in front of the line.
It took 30 minutes or so for Barça to really get into the game. It wasn’t until the end of the first half though that Pedro scored from the area off a Messi assist; and shortly after Alves scored off a free kick.
In the second half neither side produced anything remarkable; Ramos put the ball past Pinto only to have the goal disallowed for tugging Alves.
However, the game was very much from over and an Özil assist to Cristiano Ronaldo gave the visitors their first goal. A few minutes later it started looking serious for Barça; Benzema equalised after putting the ball past Puyol.
However, as the final minutes ticked by Madrid lacked the conviction or energy to score one more goal that would have taken them through. Ramos was sent off for a second yellow card and the final whistle went with the best result for Mourinho against Barça to date.
After the match he was heard to say that it was impossible to beat Barcelona at the Nou Camp, something he denied in his monosyllabic press conference after the match.
While the end result was a good one for FC Barcelona, they took some time to get into their stride against Malaga on Sunday night, with goal keeper Victor Valdes having to earn his keep. As ibnlive says:
Despite Pep Guardiola’s side’s strong showing, the hosts were the more threatening side in the early going. Before 20 minutes had passed, Isco had three chances in the space of two minutes, but Victor Valdes saved each acrobatically to keep the contest scoreless.
However, Lionel Messi scored just after the half hour mark and two goals from Messi and Alexis early in the second half had the match sealed. Messi scored his hat-trick in the 80th minutem while Malaga clawed a goal back a few minutes later.
Read “Messi scores three as Barcelona crush Malaga” at ibnlive
Real Madrid’s goal keeper and captain Iker Casillas blamed the host’s poor marking on Barcelona set piece play for his team’s loss at the Bernabeu last night. According to Goal.com he said:
“In the first half we achieved what we wanted to but we found it hard to defend on dead-ball situations. It’s a shame because if we had marked up on the play [that led to Puyol's goal], we would have achieved more,” Casillas told AS after the game.
Once again Real Madrid decided to use brute force against Barça’s skill and although this is one clasico that hasn’t ended in a brawl, defender Pepe has come under widespread criticism throughout the world for some of his actions, particulalrly stamping on Mionel Messi’s hand:
Naturally Jose Mourinho ssaid he didn’t see the incident and there are suggestions in the media that Pepe will face action, but it is up to both Real Madrid and the Spanish League authorities to stamp this kind of behavious out.
Xavi made his 400th Spanish league appearance on Sunday when Barcelona played Betis at the Nou Camp. Xavi put Barça into an early lead in the 10th minute followed up two minutes later by Lionel Messi.
However this early advantage was not to last; just before the break Betis scored their first goal and and just after half time they scored the equaliser. It wasn’t until Mario Alvarez, the Betis defender, was sent off for a second yellow that the balance changed. Xavi passed to Alexis, who put the ball into the back of the net in the 75th minute. Finally Messi scored Barça’s fourth goal of the match from the penalty spot four minutes before the final whistle after a Betis handball.
Barcelona remain five points behind Real Madrid, who they face in the Cops del Rey on Wednesday.
Barcelona arrived to play Osasuna in freezing cold and foggy weather in the second leg of their Copa del Rey last 16 draw. Ofter the 4-0 win in the Nou Camp leg, Barça’s place in teh quarter finals were all but assured and with Real Madrid having seen of Malaga, the prospect of another two clasicos.
Barcelona went a goal down toward the end of the first half, but Ossuna seemed unable to be able to produce anything more during the remainder of the match. Back on after the break with more energy, Alexis quickly equalised; but it wasn’t until the 72nd minute that Sergi Roberto scored the winning goal.
Bad news for Pedro, who will be off for 10 days with a thigh strain. And Fontas was stretchered off after a bad fall and may have a knee injury requiring surgery – if so, that’s it for the rest of the season.
Next Wednesday Barça will travel to the Bernabeu for the first of the Copa del Rey clasicos. The Nou Camp let is the following Wednesday.
In the video below you can watch some clips of Messi as a youngster. It’s amazing to see how his style doesn’t seem to have changed at all!
Lionel Messi won the Ballon d’Or for the third year running, beating team Xavi and Cristiano Ronaldo to the award for the best player in the world. According to The Scottish Daily record:
Messi, man of the match in the Champions League final in 2011, also won the Spanish league, Spanish Supercopa, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup last year.
The award is well deserved as Messi continues to thrill with his exciting football skills that make any defence weak at the knees.
Read “Barcelona star Lionel Messi collects third straight Ballon d’Or award” at The Daily Record
Real Madrid’s lead over FC Barcelona opened to five points at the weekend after the Catalans drew in the Barcelona derby. According to DNA:
Barca could only draw away to neighbours Espanyol in a thrilling and controversial game. Against an inspired and motivated home side, Barca took the first half lead through a Cesc Fabregas header, which was their 100th goal in all competitions this season.
The match was controversial due to a clear handball in the Espanyolñ area in injury time should have meant a penalty for Barça, but the refereee refused to give it. Pep Guardiola has since said that the league is far from over and has not given up on his ambitions to win the league yet again.
Read “Barcelona five points behind Real Madrid after draw against Espanyol” at DNA
FC Barcelona won their first match of the new year last night with a 4-0 win against Osasuna. Despite suffering flu and not being expected to play at all, Lionel Messi came on in the second half to score two goals, with the opening two goals scored by Cesc Fabregas.According to USATODAY:
Pep Guardiola’s team has outscored opponents 37-1 in eight straight victories since losing 1-0 at Getafe and hasn’t conceded a goal in 12 straight home games while scoring 53 times.
Read “Barcelona beats Osasuna in Copa del Rey” at USATODAY.com
Fresh from their success in the Club World Cup, FC Barcelona came home to face Hospitalet in the Copa del Rey last night. After the away leg was won by Barça with a single goal, the return match was quite different, with no fewer than 9 goals, all scored by Barcelona. According to the BBC:
Aside from Messi, only Victor Valdes, Eric Abidal and Dani Alves from the regular starting line-up were rested.
The nine-goal rout at the Nou Camp did not come without cost, however, as Iniesta injured his right thigh and will be sidelined for two weeks, while Fabregas also appeared to be hurt in the second half.
Read “Barcelona thrash Hospitalet 9-0 in Copa del Rey” at BBC Sport
