Barcelona beat Monchengladbach in Champions League tie

Berlin, Sep 29 (IANS) Barcelona came from behind to beat Monchengladbach 2-1 in the second round in Group C of the UEFA Champions League, a victory owed to second-half goals from Arda Turan and Gerard Pique.

Hosts Monchengladbach grabbed the opener through Thorgan Hazard before substitutes Turan and Pique smoothed the way for the victory on the road in front of 46,283 spectators at Borussia Park on Wednesday, reports Xinhua.

Barcelona took the reins from the kick off, but the Catalans were unable to break the deadlock despite two promising opportunities in the opening period. Neymar unleashed an effort from 11 meters into the arms of Monchengladbach goalkeeper Yann Sommer before Luis Suarez pulled wide from central position.

As the match progressed, Monchengladbach opened the scoring against the run of the game. Mahmoud Dahoud forced a turnover in the midfield and passed into the path of Hazard, who poked home the square pass in the 34th minute.

After the restart, Barcelona pressed for the equalizer, yet the "Blaugrana" had to wait until the 65th minute before Neymar's lob into the box allowed Turan to restore parity into the roof of the net five minutes after his fielding.

The hosts were unable to respond, as Barcelona turned up the pace after the equalizer. The Catalans then sealed the deal with the 2-1 through Pique, who tapped in a rebound from close range as keeper Sommer spilled a Suarez shot on target in the 74th minute.

"The team deployed all their skills and staged a good performance. We can be proud despite the loss," Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl said.

"It is a fair result. We played really well," Barcelona defender Pique remarked.

With the result, Barcelona top Group C after reaping their second straight win, whereas Borussia Monchengladbach sit on fourth and last place after suffering their second loss in a row.

--IANS

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