Ernesto Valverde is soothed by Barcelona’s record on the road in the Champions League this season after they guaranteed top spot in Group B with a 2-1 win at PSV Eindhoven.
Barca struggled away from the Nou Camp in Europe last term, scoring just once in three group stage matches and surrendering a 4-1 lead against Roma on a dreadful night at the Stadio Olimpico to exit at the quarter-final stage.
But they put four goals past Tottenham at Wembley last month and second-half strikes from Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique proved enough for all three points at the Philips Stadion, despite Luuk De Jong setting up a tense finale.
In truth Barca rode their luck as Gaston Pereiro, De Jong and Denzel Dumfries were all denied by the frame of the goal in the opening 45 minutes, but Valverde is pleased with their progress.
The Barca head coach said in quotes on his club’s official website: “We’re so happy to have mathematically topped the group.
“Considering how much we have struggled away from home in recent years and found it hard to score goals, I’m especially pleased to have got two wins and a draw this year.
“PSV played well. They were very lively on the counter-attack and the balls we lost meant they were able to get into dangerous positions and even hit the woodwork a few times.
“It was a hard place to play at. But the more the game progressed the more chances we were able to create.”
Messi, as he has been for much of the last decade, was the architect of Barca’s latest success, opening the scoring with his 106th Champions League goal – the most by any player at one club in the competition.
The Argentinian, who bagged a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture at the Nou Camp in September, then provided the assist for Pique to instinctively divert into the net.
“We have fulfilled the goal of being the first in a very complicated group with great teams. We are very much content,” the Barcelona captain said.
On his latest record, he added: “I’m very happy, I just found out now. I’m very happy about this new statistic.”
PSV manager and former Barcelona midfielder Mark Van Bommel could not disguise his disappointment at an opportunity lost for the Dutch champions, who will finish bottom of the group.
He said in quotes on his club’s official website: “You do not always get what you deserve. I’m badly disappointed.
“The best part is that everyone stood up and clapped after the last whistle. That says enough about the performance of the boys.
“We gave everything, had a good idea, a good way of playing and created so many opportunities. It is only once again the confirmation that we can very well keep up with these teams.”