Barcelona returned to Champions League action at the newly reopened Spotify Camp Nou in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to defeat Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 thanks to a second-half brace from defender Jules Kounde. It was the club’s first Champions League match at their iconic home ground in more than three years, and their fourth consecutive victory there since reopening last month.
The night began nervously for Hansi Flick’s side, who entered the fixture needing points to stay firmly in contention for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification to the last 16. Frankfurt, despite recent domestic struggles including a bruising 6–0 defeat to RB Leipzig, started brightly and stunned the Catalan crowd after 21 minutes. Ansgar Knauff latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Nathaniel Brown, held off Alejandro Balde, and calmly rolled the ball beyond goalkeeper Joan Garcia to silence the 45,000-strong home support.
Barcelona, sluggish in the first half, lacked rhythm and penetration despite dominating possession. Without creating many clear chances, they went into the interval trailing and in need of a spark. That spark arrived in the form of Marcus Rashford. Introduced at half-time, the England forward made an immediate impact down the left, injecting pace, aggression, and directness.
Within five minutes of his introduction, Rashford delivered a superb curling cross into the box, where Kounde rose powerfully to head home the equaliser. The goal lifted the stadium, and just three minutes later Barcelona completed the turnaround. This time it was 17-year-old Lamine Yamal who provided the assist, floating an inviting delivery into the six-yard area. Kounde, completely unmarked, met it cleanly to score his second of the night and his third of the season.
Those quick-fire goals changed the mood completely. Barcelona, shaken by their 3–0 defeat at Chelsea in their previous Champions League outing, regained confidence and control, moving the ball with authority and pinning Frankfurt back. Flick’s system began to flow, with Yamal, Pedri, and Ilkay Gündogan all dictating tempo as Barcelona searched for a third.
Frankfurt, to their credit, did not collapse, and even threatened sporadically on the counter. Ellyes Skhiri and Fares Chaibi both had chances early in the second half to double Frankfurt’s lead before Kounde’s intervention, but their missed opportunities proved costly in the end. From that point on, the German side saw very little of the ball, fading as Barcelona tightened their grip on the match.
The victory lifts Barcelona to 10 points from their six league-phase matches and keeps them firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish, with two group fixtures remaining. Their next match is away to Slavia Prague on 21 January before concluding the stage at home to Copenhagen a week later. With confidence restored and their home form improving, Flick’s side will believe they can finish strongly.
The return to the Camp Nou has provided a noticeable lift for the club. After two seasons at the Estadi Olímpic during the €1.1bn redevelopment, the team is settling back into a familiar rhythm despite the stadium currently operating at a reduced capacity of 45,401 while work continues on the upper tier and roof. The recent run of results suggests the players are responding to the environment—with four wins from four at their iconic home ground.
The only blemish on the night came in the form of a booking for Lamine Yamal, who will now miss the trip to Prague through suspension. For a player so central to Barcelona’s attacking spark, his absence will be felt. Still, the performance—particularly the resilience shown after falling behind—offered plenty of encouragement.
Eintracht Frankfurt, meanwhile, remain stuck on four points and face an uphill battle to avoid elimination from European competition. Their bright early start was undone by defensive lapses, and their inability to take chances at 1–0 proved decisive.
For Barcelona, though, the night belonged to Jules Kounde. Two goals in a decisive four-minute spell turned the match around and kept their Champions League campaign firmly on track.
