For the first time in his career, French defender Jules Koundé scored a brace, and he seems to be floating in a sea of joy.
After Barcelona had trailed in five consecutive matches, they bounced back to win, and the hero of Tuesday’s 2-1 victory was Koundé, who netted twice for the first time in his career. Speaking about his achievement, Koundé said, “This success came with a touch of luck.”
The Champions League return at Camp Nou was celebrated as Barcelona secured the crucial win.
Following a 3-3 draw against Club Brugge and a heavy 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, coach Hansie Flick’s side needed a victory against Frankfurt, and it was Koundé who delivered, scoring twice in a way even the Barcelona coach hadn’t imagined.
After the break, Koundé connected with Marcus Rashford’s perfect cross, evading the defender to head the ball into the net. Just three minutes later, he latched onto another exquisite cross from Yamal and sent a brilliant header home.
Many are comparing Koundé’s goal to Lionel Messi’s famous header in the 2009 Champions League final against Manchester United.
After the match, Koundé humorously admitted that his second goal wasn’t entirely intentional.
“With the angled shot, I just wanted to go into the box and see what happens. Honestly, I was a little surprised myself. But sometimes you also need a bit of luck,” he said.
“My first priority is always to defend well, so I have to maintain balance. There are matches where we play against five defenders. Today Frankfurt played very deep, so I had to attack the space they left behind. I just tried to make that effort.”
After six group-stage matches, Barcelona sit 14th with three wins and a draw, tied with four other teams on 10 points. Frankfurt, suffering their fourth defeat, are 30th with four points.
