Barcelona’s Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup hopes end with late Udinese defeat

Barcelona were beaten 1-0 by Udinese in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup, with Bayo scoring in the final minute to settle the three-team tournament staged in Udine.

The match began with players from both sides observing a minute’s silence in tribute to Lionel Messi’s father, who had died after a long illness.

Barcelona controlled most of the contest but struggled to turn possession into clear chances. Udinese were largely restricted defensively and created very little against their Spanish opponents, yet they made the decisive breakthrough just as the match appeared to be heading for a penalty shootout.

An error by Cortes allowed Udinese to launch a counter-attack in the closing minute. The move ended with the Ivory Coast international Bayo finding the net, securing victory for the Italian side and denying Barcelona the trophy.

Unlike in their opening match, Barcelona sought to dominate through sustained possession. They moved the ball calmly and patiently, forcing Udinese to spend long periods chasing it rather than building their own attacks.

However, Hans Flick’s side lacked penetration in the final third. Udinese defended the spaces effectively, leaving Barcelona without the depth and movement needed to break through their defensive shape.

The Catalan club’s first meaningful threat came from a set-piece. Andreas Christensen rose to meet a header, but his effort went narrowly wide of the goal.

Flick attempted to alter the flow of the match after 15 minutes by making five substitutions at once. Among those introduced was Besioo, who made his first appearance for Barcelona, while Alejandro Balde also played for the first time during the club’s pre-season preparations.

The changes did little to transform the pattern of the game. Barcelona continued to enjoy most of the possession, but opportunities remained scarce, and the side finished the contest with a team made up largely of reserve players.

Those younger players produced some of Barcelona’s strongest moments. They applied intense pressure to Udinese and offered encouraging signs, but they were unable to convert that pressure into a goal.

Barcelona’s most positive feature was their defensive control. Whereas Nottingham had created several scoring opportunities in the previous match, Udinese barely threatened Wojciech Szczesny for much of the evening.

That defensive success ultimately counted for little because Barcelona could not capitalise on their dominance. With the game seemingly destined to be decided by penalties, Cortes’ mistake gave Udinese the opening they needed.

Bayo completed the counter-attack with a late finish, leaving Barcelona empty-handed in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Cup despite controlling the majority of the match.