The glory and pain of Vitor Roque mark Barça’s victory against Alavés

Vitor Roque is a teenager with charisma, but unable to hide a gesture of innocence that many will want to take advantage of. The boy, who had just made his debut as a scorer against Osasuna, played again with the purest happiness when he went out onto the field and sweetly scored 1-3 in Mendizorroza. But Martínez Munuera, with the abusive authority of someone who understands neither irreverence nor the game, expelled the Brazilian by showing him a second yellow in an episode of a simple football dispute. The game did not change for him Barçaat peace with his second consecutive victory of the interim era of Xavi Hernández, but for Vitor Roque, who discovered the price of still being a child in an unknown playground.

Xavi, between his weekly masses, will have to make Vitor Roque understand that, at least for now, they will have no mercy on him. As long as he does so, he can continue to abound. on the open road in Vitoria. Inventiveness is expected from a coach, even irreverence. So the coach, who had been mulling over the idea for weeks, thought that placing center back Christensen as a midfielder could be essential to achieving the dreamed stability. He didn’t complicate things, he didn’t mess up and he allowed Gündogan to play where he should, in front of the slaughterhouse. Coarse.

Like a litany pronounced before the faithful, Barça returned to its dawn of anguish and sweat. One minute was enough for Alavés to push the Blaugrana to the limit, unable to open their eyes without the pain of the cold shower. At 15 seconds the young Cubarsí took the lead ahead in the area to Álex Sola. The boy could have been grateful that the referee noticed a previous offside. That was Cancelo’s first slip on the left bank, neglected by the indecipherable Portuguese winger throughout the afternoon. Because Sola ran on the same flank again, whose cross into the area towards the beardless docker Samuel Omorodion did not reach its destination thanks to the intervention of Araujo.

Xavi, who had faced the day with the obsession that nothing would happen on the field – defending with the ball is one thing, clinging to nothing is quite another – he ordered his four midfielders that made patience a flag. That worked for a good stretch of the first act, with the Barça players playing with the desire of the team of the always tormented Luis García Plaza to march.

Gündogan, hammer in the area

That moment of peace for Barça coincided with the opening goal. Who knows what would have happened if Lewandowski’s control had not bounced off his defender. What difference does it make. The Pole had been enabled with ease by that Gündogan who seems different when he approaches the area (he already has nine assists in all competitions, the best historical record for him). But nothing would have made sense without Lewandowski’s definition, who insists on combating his obvious decline as a footballer with episodic strokes of genius. He lifted the ball over the goalkeeper with such gentleness that Sivera must have had time to cross himself several times knowing he was condemned.

But it was still going to be difficult for Barça to control the game and its fears. Before reaching the break, Iñaki Peña had to take a close-range shot from Guridi and was later able to thank Samu, also alone in the area, for not putting his foot straight. Such is the Barça’s fragility that they could not even taste the formidable 0-2 scoreline crowned with a hammer from Gündogan after Lamine Yamal and Pedri drew the perfect counterattack. The German midfielder couldn’t last much longer, replaced with back problems.

The party, this time, lasted two minutes. Héctor Fort, who had to replace Cancelo who cannot continue playing with knee pain, was surpassed by Sola. The winger did not have enough, he went outside and provided, this time, the goal for Samu, neglected by Araujo.

It was the only mistake that Fort made, who ended up reaching a high level in that Baby Barça sublimated by Lamine Yamal, a demon in the second half, and who finally found calm with the furious emergence, and the goal, of Vitor Roque .

The sad Brazilian striker must have been seen in a Buñuel film, perhaps The Exterminating Angel. After seeing the red and resisting assuming a punishment that was not his, could only bow his head and surrender to the meaninglessness of football. “Death is preferable to this careless environment.”