Barcelona kicked off their preseason preparations with a penalty shootout defeat against Birmingham at St. Andrew’s Stadium, finishing 2-2 in regular time before losing 2-3 on penalties. With most of the first-team squad absent following their World Cup commitments, coach Hansi Flick fielded a youthful lineup.
August Priske put the Blues ahead in front of a packed St. Andrew’s, but new Barcelona signing Hamza Abdelkarim equalized and then gave the Spanish side the lead in the 60th minute.
However, John Solis leveled the score again after a well-executed team move, sending the match to penalties. In the shootout, James Beadle made three crucial saves to deny Barcelona and secure an unbeaten preseason finish for Birmingham.
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