James Beadle emerged as the hero for Birmingham City as they secured a penalty shootout victory over Spanish champions Barcelona after an exciting 2-2 draw at St. Andrew’s on Friday.
Beadle made crucial saves against Roony Bardghji and Brian Fariñas, while Jordi Pesquer struck the bar, allowing Birmingham to triumph 3-2 in the shootout.
– Barça sign teen winger Bisiwu from Club Brugge
August Priske had initially put the Blues ahead with his fourth preseason goal, but a brace from 18-year-old Hamza Abdelkarim gave Barcelona the upper hand.
However, Jhon Solís equalized with a goal in the 68th minute, sending the match to penalties where Beadle shone.
Real Madrid midfielder and former Birmingham player Jude Bellingham joined the celebration from the stands, proudly wearing a Birmingham shirt during his break after the World Cup.
Barcelona fielded a largely inexperienced squad due to World Cup absences, with coach Hansi Flick having to rely on younger players after a week of training at St. George’s Park.
The Catalans were missing all eight of their Spain internationals from the summer squad, as well as key players like Anthony Gordon, Jules Koundé, and Raphinha. However, there was a debut for new signing Karim Adeyemi.
After Priske opened the scoring with a well-placed header from an Alexander Cochrane cross, Abdelkarim quickly made his presence felt by winning and converting a penalty to equalize.
He later scored again in the second half following a rebound from a Beadle save, which showcased his potential as Barcelona looks for a long-term replacement for Robert Lewandowski, now with Chicago Fire.
Birmingham reestablished parity when Solís reacted quickly to a free kick from Christoph Klarer with 20 minutes left on the clock.
In the closing moments, both teams had opportunities to secure a win—Cochrane hit the bar for Birmingham, while Beadle made a crucial double save against Bardghji and Álex González to send the match to penalties.
In the shootout, Scott Wright and Álvaro Cortés successfully converted their penalties, while Luis Vázquez and Bardghji missed, leaving the score level after the initial rounds.
Ethan Laird found the back of the net for Birmingham before Barça’s Pesquer hit the bar. Jack Robinson’s penalty was saved by Áron Yaakobishvili, and Guille Fernández scored for Barça to level things up again. However, Patrick Roberts converted his penalty, and Beadle saved Fariñas’ shot to clinch the victory for Birmingham.
This match served as Birmingham’s final warm-up before the new season, which begins with a Carabao Cup fixture against Swansea City on August 8.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will continue their preparation for LaLiga as they face Nottingham Forest on August 8. Their first competitive match of the season will be in LaLiga against Elche on August 23.