Barcelona lift the Old Trafford curse with narrow win
The Catalans won at Man Utd's famous ground for the first-ever time
Old Trafford is no longer a cursed ground for FC Barcelona. On their fifth visit top Manchester United, the Catalans picked up their first victory on Wednesday. It was a hard-fought game, settled by Luke Shaw's first half own goal, but sets up the second leg nicely next Tuesday at Camp Nou.
Before this week's game, Barça had lost two and drawn two of their games at Old Trafford. They needed to end that trend and they managed it. Messi and Suarez combined to set up the only goal of the Champions League quarterfinal first leg.
The Moscow final
Barça's last visit was especially painful in 2008. A goal from Paul Scholes prevented Frank Rijkaard's team reaching the Champions League final in Moscow. United ended up winning the final, beating Chelsea on penalties.
The other defeat came in 1984. Barça lost 3-2 in the Cup Winners Cup. The draws, meanwhile, came in 1994 and 1998, both times in the groups stages: 2-2 with Johan Cruyff in charge and 3-3 with another Dutchman on the bench, Lous van Gaal.
On Wednesday, Barça took another step towards this year's final at the Wanda Metropolitano. The game showed that winning at Old Trafford is never easy, but the curse was lifted.
