Getty Gerard Pique celebrates with Memphis Depay.
Gerard Pique was on the scoresheet for Barcelona on Wednesday in the Champions League with the opening goal for the Catalan giants in the team’s must-win fixture against Dynamo Kiev at the Camp Nou.
The hosts dominated possession but struggled to create chances against the Ukranian champions until Pique arrived to open the scoring on 36 minutes, as shown by CBS Sports.
GERARD PIQUE SCORES BARCELONA’S FIRST #UCL GOAL OF THE SEASON 💥
Pique’s goal is his 16th in Europe’s top competition and means he has now outscored long-term rival and former Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, as highlighted by Squawka Football.
The Catalan star has also done it in less games. Mister Chip reports Pique has scored 16 goals in 122 games whereas Ramos, who also used to take penalties for Real Madrid, needed 129 games to score 15 times.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Pique is also now the joint highest scoring defender in the history of the Champions League. The Barca defender moves level at the top of the standings with former Real Madrid star Roberto Carlos.
Interestingly, Pique’s first ever Champions League goal also came against Dynamo Kiev back in 2007. The defender scored during his time with Manchester United in a 4-0 win for the Red Devils.
Opta noted how Pique also hit another landmark with his latest goal. The defender is now the oldest player to score for Barcelona in the Champions League at the age of 34 years and 260 days.
Pique’s strike was also Barcelona’s first Champions League goal of the season. Ronald Koeman’s side had drawn blanks in their opening two games which resulted in 3-0 defeats to Bayern Munich and Benfica.
Barcelona Secure Vital UCL Win
Barcelona had to settle for a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev with the hosts unable to add to Pique’s first-half strike despite seeing plenty of the ball and carving out chances against Mircea Lucescu’s side.
The three points take Barca off the bottom of Group E at the halfway point of the group stages and offer hope the Catalan giants can still qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament.
Barca now head to Dynamo Kiev in their next Champions League outing on Tuesday, November 2 and will be hoping for another victory to keep their qualification hopes alive. The Catalans’ final two group games are at home to Benfica and then away at Bayern Munich.
Clasico Up Next For Barcelona
There’s no doubt it’s been a key week for Barcelona and Wednesday’s Champions League win follows on from an important 3-1 victory over Valencia in La Liga on Sunday at the Camp Nou.
Barca now face another crunch clash on Sunday when fierce rivals Real Madrid visit the Camp Nou in La Liga. Just two points separate the two teams in the table, and a win for Barca would see the Catalans leapfrog Los Blancos.
Sunday’s match promises plenty of intrigue as Koeman goes in search of his first Clasico win as Barcelona coach. Real Madrid were surprisingly beaten by Espanyol in their last fixture in the Spanish top flight but bounced back well with a 5-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk last time out.
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