Group H came to a dramatic close as Royal Antwerp defeated Barcelona 3-2 to win their first Champions League match. Despite this, Barcelona still led the group due to their superior head-to-head record against Porto.
After 76 seconds, the bottom team, Antwerp, took the unexpected lead when 18-year-old Arthur Vermeeren struck viciously past Inaki Pena.
Ten minutes before the half, the teenager’s opener was cancelled out by a brilliant equaliser from Ferran Torres, making Lamine Yamal the first 16-year-old to record an assist in the competition’s history.
However, Antwerp took advantage of some careless Barcelona play on the edge of the box, and Vincent Janssen finished superbly, putting Xavi’s team behind again.
When Marc Guiu equalised in the closing seconds, Barcelona believed they had avoided a humiliating outcome. However, Antwerp’s celebration was complete when George Ilenikhena restored the Belgian’s lead in the ninetieth minute.
