Barcelona finally rediscovered their bite in Europe on Tuesday night, rallying behind a rare Jules Kounde brace to squeeze past Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in a tense Champions League tie at a lively Camp Nou.
The win couldn’t come soon enough for Hansi Flick’s side, who had stumbled through a draw with Club Brugge and a loss to Chelsea and sat marooned in the lower half of the league-phase table.
Kounde’s pair of towering second-half headers pushed Barça to 14th on 10 points, level with a crowded pack chasing the top-eight finish needed for direct entry to the last 16.
Frankfurt remain 30th with four points from six matches.
Frankfurt struck first in the 21st minute, punishing Barcelona’s high line.
Nathaniel Brown split the defense with a sharp pass that sent Ansgar Knauff racing behind Alejandro Balde before slotting past Joan Garcia.
It was another reminder of Barcelona’s leaky European record – the club has now conceded in nine straight Champions League games.
Barça controlled the ball early and even celebrated briefly when Robert Lewandowski tapped in a ninth-minute chance, but VAR erased it for offside.
Lamine Yamal nearly created the equalizer minutes later, only for Fermin Lopez’s close-range strike to be blocked on the goal-line. And just before halftime, Frankfurt nearly doubled their lead when Ellyes Skhiri curled a shot inches wide.
Frankfurt returned from the break sharper, forcing Garcia into back-to-back saves on Fares Chaibi and Hugo Larsson. Those stops bought Barcelona time – and then came the surge.
Flick introduced Marcus Rashford, and the change transformed the left flank. In the 50th minute, Rashford whipped in a precise cross that found Kounde gliding into space. The defender guided his header into the bottom corner to level the match.
Three minutes later, Kounde rose again. This time Yamal, drifting to the left, delivered a teasing ball into a crowded box. Kounde muscled through bodies and angled his header home, flipping the match and sending Camp Nou roaring.
Barcelona chased a third but Frankfurt stayed dangerous on the counter, forcing the hosts to defend deep in the closing minutes. Still, Kounde’s double held, handing Barça a precious win in their first Champions League match at the partially reopened Camp Nou after 2½ years of redevelopment.
After the match, Flick downplayed Yamal’s irritation at being subbed off in the 89th minute. The 18-year-old walked off visibly frustrated after picking up a booking that now rules him out of Barcelona’s next Champions League game.
“I understand if he was annoyed – I like it,” Flick said. “He was booked late, so we changed him. Not a problem.”
Yamal wasn’t just central to Barça’s recovery; he made history again. His assist on Kounde’s winner pushed him to 14 Champions League goal involvements – more than any player under 19 in the competition’s league or group stage history, surpassing Kylian Mbappe’s previous record of 13.
Kounde, meanwhile, relished the freedom he found against Frankfurt’s deep block.
“There are games where you have to attack the spaces behind,” he said. “I tried to do that today – and it worked with the two goals.”
Barcelona have now conceded first in five straight matches – and rallied to win the last four. Flick welcomed the resilience but hinted at a preference for a calmer route.
“I’m really happy with how we come back,” he said. “But sometimes it would be good to start well and score the first goal.”
