Barcelona lose possession battle in a Champions League group stage game for the first time in 12 years in draw with Tottenham
- Tottenham drew 1-1 with Barcelona at the Nou Camp in the Champions League
- Lucas Moura equalised late on after Ousmane Dembele’s early opener
- Mauricio Pochettino’s men ended the game with 51.2 per cent of the possession
- The last time Barcelona lost possession in the group stages was in 2006
Tottenham completed a remarkable Champions League survival act with their draw against Barcelona on Tuesday night and broke a long standing record in the process.
Lucas Moura scored the vital equaliser in the 85th minute to clinch a draw at the Nou Camp and Spurs were helped through by PSV Eindhoven, who held Inter Milan to a 1-1 draw in the San Siro.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men went into the game knowing they would most likely need to pick up at least a point and they certainly capitalised on a weakened Barca side, ending their 12-year run of dominating possession in the group stages.
Tottenham ended Barcelona’s 12-year run of dominating possession in the group stages
Barcelona’s 10 lowest possession percentage games in the group stages since 2003-04
The Spanish giants last lost the possession battle at this stage of the Champions League against Werder Bremen in December, 2006.
However, Ernesto Valverde left out a number of first team starters, including Lionel Messi, with his team having already secured top spot in Group B.
And that allowed a fully-strength Spurs side to see much more of the ball than most visitors, ending the game with 51.2 per cent of the possession.
It was the first time in this season’s competition that the Catalan outfit had had less than 60 per cent of the ball in the competition.
A weakened Barcelona side saw much less of the ball than they are accustomed to
Barcelona’s possession percentage in this year’s Champions League group stages
