Barcelona FINALLY get their first Champions League win of the season after two heavy defeats - with Gerard Pique's first-half volley the difference for Ronald Koeman's under-pressure side against Dynamo Kiev
- Barcelona finally had a Champions League breakthrough against Dynamo Kiev
- The Blaugrana secured their first European goal and victory as they won 1-0
- Gerard Pique volleyed home to put the hosts ahead 10 minutes before half-time
- Latest Champions League news, including live action and results
Gerard Pique scored the vital goal to earn Barcelona a nervy 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev in Champions League Group E on Wednesday and keep alive the Spanish side's hopes of reaching the knockout rounds.
Pique volleyed home Jordi Alba's cross in the 36th minute to register Barca's first goal of this season's competition and secure their first victory after 3-0 defeats by Bayern Munich and Benfica.
Ronald Koeman's team moved to third in the standings with three points, one behind Benfica and three adrift of the Germans ahead of their clash later on Wednesday.
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Barcelona received another boost when striker Sergio Aguero came on as a substitute late in the second half and looked to have recovered from the calf injury he suffered in pre-season after signing from Manchester City.
The Argentina international should be in contention to play in Sunday's Clasico against Real Madrid.
It was not a convincing win for Barcelona against a Dynamo Kiev team who offered little attacking threat and did not muster a single shot on goal.
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Barca coach Ronald Koeman left Ansu Fati, Philippe Coutinho and Aguero on the bench ahead of the Clasico and Sergino Dest, who usually plays left back, was moved up to play alongside Luuk de Jong and Memphis Depay in attack.
After a couple of missed chances by Dest and De Jong, the crowd started booing the home team and Koeman showed his frustration on the sidelines by asking Fati and Coutinho to warm up after only 31 minutes.
Just before the Dutch coach was about to make the substitutions, however, defender Pique eased the tension with a cool close-range finish from Alba's cross.
Fati and Coutinho came on after half-time and Barca improved with 18-year-old Fati showing his quality and almost scoring a brilliant goal with a backheel.
Barcelona were unable to turn their possession into goals but they hung on to seal a vital victory.
Alba sustained an ankle injury and could miss the game against Real Madrid, saying he felt 'excruciating pain' during the second half.
'I don't know what it is but I have something. I'm hurt,' Alba said.
'It's an important week for us, we won two games in a row and losing against Dynamo would eliminate us from the Champions League. Now it's El Clasico and it will be tough, we need our supporters to be on our side.'
Relive all the action from Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev with Sportsmail's ISABEL BALDWIN below...
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Isabel Baldwin Host commentator
Well, it's a win and three points but still not that convincing from Barcelona.
Still, Koeman can breathe a sigh of relief after a disastrous start to their Champions League campaign as his side bag their first European goal and win of the season.
I'm not sure Real Madrid will be shaking in their boots ahead of Sunday's El Clasico, though.
Three minutes injury time have been added on.
Surely Barca can see it out from here.
Sergio Aguero has a shot from about 30 yards out but blasts it at a Kyiv head instead of goal.
Dynamo have had more changes than chances tonight.
The visitors make a double change as Eric Ramirez comes on for Vitaliy Buyalskyi and Oleksandr Karavaev comes on for Viktor Tsygankov.
Dynamo bring on Oleksandr Tymchyk for Tomasz Kedziora.
Coutinho whips in a cross from 25 yards out that almost curls into the top corner.
It causes some concern the keeper but just inches wide.
Very reminiscent of his Liverpool era for the Brazilian.
Memphis Depay, the bright spark of Barcelona's dim campaign so far, makes way for Sergio Aguero who makes his Barcelona Champions League debut.
As it stands, Dynamo Kiev are on a club record run of failing to score in four successive European games.
Not a record they'll be looking to break...
Sergi Roberto, perhaps the most surprising omission from the starting XI, comes on for Gavi.
Dynamo Kyiv bring on Vitinho - for his Champions League debut - in place of Carlos de Pena, while Denys Harmash, who scored twice at the weekend, comes on for Vladyslav Supriaha.
Ansu Fati goes close to an unreal goal.
He closes the keeper down and the resulting loose ball goes to Memphis Depay, who pulls it back to Fati.
On the rebound with his back to goal, Fati then tries to trick and flick the ball into goal but he hooks it wide.
His inexperience was showing there and will certainly have had one or two team-mates in better positions shouting at him to lay up.
Barcelona look a bit more slick.
Memphis Depay finds Frenkie de Jong who tries to lay it on a plate for Ansu Fati but it's booted behind.
The second half is underway with a couple of Barcelona changes.
Philippe Coutinho has come on for Oscar Mingueza, while Ansu Fati also gets his chance as Luuk de Jong makes way for the wonderkid.
Barcelona bringing on that bit of creativity they were missing in the first half.
Gerard Pique is the first Barcelona player not named Lionel Messi to score in the Champions League since December 2020...
In doing so, he's become their oldest ever Champions League goalscorer.
After one minute injury time, Barcelona head into the break in the lead.
Their first Champions League goal of the season has come from an unlikely source but could it have led them to a breakthrough?
Gerard Pique's last Champions League goal was also against Dynamo Kyiv at the Nou Camp - almost a year ago.
Luuk de Jong gets another free header and it's yet another that misses.
How many does he want?
Finally, finally Barcelona have Champions League breakthrough.
And it doesn't come from a centre forward but rather a centre back.
It's another beautiful Jordi Alba cross - naturally - and Gerard Pique is floating by the back post ready to volley it home.
He isn't missing that.
Barca may be missing chances but at least they're busy.
Dynamo Kiev are practically non-existent in this game. Apart from one chance early on, they've barely been in this.
Half an hour has passed, you can have more than one crack at goal Kiev.
They do know this isn't the Barcelona of old, right?
Jordi Alba with a cracking cross - again - Sergino Dest heads but once again it's not on target under pressure.
All Barca's chances seem to be coming from headers but not can find the target
Barcelona are finding their groove now.
Luuk de Jong has another crack at goal - and this time it's on target.
The Dutchman curls one towards the top corner from the edge of the box but Georgi Bushchan manages to tip it over.
The corner comes to nothing.
Barcelona see another great chance wasted!
Depay serves the chance up on a plate for Luuk de Jong as he fires the free kick in but his fellow dutchman heads it wide from about 10 yards out.
He has to hit the target with that one. He's not going to get more inviting service than that.
Kiev sacrifice another corner to Barcelona to prevent Dest firing a cross into the box.
But it comes to nothing as it's cleared away.
Kiev had their first clear chance on the break.
It's a good searching run for Dynamo Kiev who almost catch Barcelona out at the back.
But it eventually ends up in the gloves of Marc-Andre ter Stegen
It's another Jordi Alba cross for Sergino Dest but the ex-Ajax man can't get his head to it.
It's a better start for Barcelona than we've seen it recent weeks.
Barca have the first outstanding chance of the game.
Jordi Alba fizzes it in to Sergino Dest but he fluffs his line and the ball careers off his head and over the bar.
He really should have scored that.
Peep peep!
And we're underway at a rather empty Nou Camp. It certainly doesn't feel like the Barcelona we're used to seeing on a Champions League night.
Barca sit rock bottom of Group E as they battle to make it through to the last 16, while Kiev are one place above with a grand total of one point.
Meanwhile six points from six places Bayern Munich comfortably at the top of their group but Julian Nagelsmann's side face their toughest challenge so far in Benfica who are only two points behind.
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