FCBARCELONA.CAT

03.06.2010 11:21

Goals and thrills in Asia

Marc Guillén

Barça have played nine friendlies on three tours of Asia and have always produced plenty of great football – scoring 29 goals and conceding just two.

This summer FC Barcelona go east again to play in Seoul on August 4 and four days later they’ll be in Beijing.

More than three goals a game

Barça have always demonstrated their superiority in the Far East, with seven wins, one draw and just one defeat, although the goal difference is highly tipped in their favour. While only letting in two goals, the Catalans have netted an average of 3.2 goals a game on their trips to Asia. That record is particularly bolstered by their extraordinary 9-0 win over Chinese outfit Shenzhen JianiLiBao on their second tour.

Three tours

FC Barcelona closed the 2004/05 season with a 15 day tour of Korea, Japan and China, the first time they had ever been to Asia, and so positive was the experience that they went back for the following preseason. Two years after that, Rijkaard took his players to Beijing, Japan and Hong Kong, in that order.

Defeat and red cards

Barça’s debut in Asia was not a good one. They lost 1-0 to Suwon Samsung. But they have never lost since despite facing some very strong opposition.

One game was so intense that seven yellow and two red cards were shown. The last game of the 2004/05 campaign saw Barça beat International Shanghai 3-0, but the Chinese fought tooth and nail to the end. Oleguer and Li Yan ended up being sent off following the kind of incident that is rarely seen in a friendly.

Clubs World Cup

Barça also played three Clubs World Cup matches between 1992 and 2006. In what was then known as the Intercontinental Cup, the Dream Team lost 2-1 to São Paulo in the Japanese capital in 1992. In 2006, now in the new-look Clubs World Cup, Barça won their semi final 4-0 against Mexico’s America, but faced defeat in the grand final against Internacional of Porto Alegre, 1-0.