Barcelona Knocked Out of UEFA Champions League Following Their 3-0 Defeat To Bayern Munich

Munich: For the first time in 21 years, FC Barcelona got knocked out from the group stages of the UEFA Champions League after they suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of German Champions Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena.

For the Catalans to qualify for the Round of 16 of the Champions League, they needed a win over Bayern and on the other hand, the Portuguese side Benfica had to lose against Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine. 

Unfortunately for Barcelona, the results did not go in their favour. Benfica got the better of Dynamo Kyiv in a 2-0 victory while Barca could not get past the German Giants. Earlier, in the reverse fixture held at Barcelona's home turf Camp Nou, the Bavarians thumped the Catalans 3-0.

As a result, Barcelona has been demoted to the UEFA Europa League. This is an embarrassing moment for the Catalans as they have always managed to qualify for the knockout stages of this prestigious tournament.

It is imminent that the Spanish giants are going through a rough patch and their foundation also seems to be shaky. They are no longer as dominant as they used to be and their spark seems to be missing.

This turbulent phase could be attributed to the departure of their Starman and 7 time Ballon D'or winner Lionel Messi. He did not want to leave the club but was forced to move out due to financial reasons. As soon as he was released from the club, French Champions PSG did not waste this golden opportunity and signed the Argentinian Maestro in a two-year deal.

In late October, FC Barcelona fired their manager Ronald Koeman after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. Last month, the Catalans appointed club legend Xavi Hernandez in a three-year deal until 2024 in the hope that he would turn around the club's fortune.

However, that did not happen at all. Apart from getting knocked out from the Champions League, FC Barcelona is also struggling in their domestic league where they are at 7th position. They are 16 points behind table-toppers Real Madrid. 

Apart from Memphis Depay who has 8 goals to his name and stands at 4th position in the La Liga top scorers list, other players have failed to step up and fill the shoes of Lionel Messi. It would not be wrong to say that Barcelona is in a crisis period currently.

FC Barcelona has won a total of 5 Champions League trophies and 26 La Liga trophies to date.

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