Barcelona lost their fourth game in a row after succumbing to a defeat on penalties in the Maradona Cup played on Tuesday evening.

The game played at Riyadh’s Mrsool Park in Saudi Arabia saw Dani Alves returning to the team, but his experience was not enough to see the team avoid defeat. The Brazilian returned to Barcelona after agreeing to join in the summer from Sao Paolo. After an entertaining but goalless first half, Barcelona took the lead in the second half through Ferran Jutgla, who steered a shot past Boca goalkeeper Agustin Rossi.

However, the Argentines pulled the equalizer with less than fifteen minutes left on the clock when 19-year-old substitute Exequiel Zeballos scored in the 77th minute. Maradona, who passed away in November 2020, played for both clubs during his career. It was Boca Juniors who triumphed on penalties in the one-off game.

Meanwhile, Barcelona forward Sergio Aguero will announce his retirement from football on Wednesday after suffering a suspected heart attack earlier in this season. Barcelona revealed that the forward will announce his Barcelona future in a press conference on Thursday at the Camp Nou alongside the club President.

“Sergio Aguero will give a statement on his future from Camp Nou at 12pm CET on Wednesday December 15. The first-team football player will be joined by FC Barcelona president, Joan Laporta.” Barcelona posted on social media.

Barcelona have endured a tough situation where they have crashed out of the UEFA Champions League after losing to Bayern Munich before drawing at Osasuna with a 2-2 draw.

Barcelona will face Elche at home before travelling to Sevilla, Mallorca, and Granada in the La Liga. They have also been drawn against Napoli in the Uefa Europa League. They are also 18 points away from table-topping Real Madrid as they sit in 8th position with 24 points from 16 games.

Written by: Daniel Ademiju Idowu