Birmingham City produced one of the biggest surprises of the pre-season by defeating Barcelona 3-2 on penalties after an entertaining 2-2 draw in a club friendly on Friday night.

Despite facing one of Europe’s biggest clubs, Birmingham showed resilience and determination throughout the contest, matching Barcelona’s quality with disciplined defending and clinical finishing when it mattered most.

The English side struck first in the 31st minute through August Priske, who finished confidently after being set up by Alex Cochrane.

Birmingham’s advantage was short-lived, however, as Barcelona restored parity before the break when H. Abdelkarim calmly converted a penalty in the 42nd minute.

Barcelona looked to have taken control of the game after the restart. Abdelkarim grabbed his second goal in the 60th minute, giving the Spanish giants a 2-1 lead and rewarding their dominance in possession.

The Catalan club enjoyed 68 percent of the ball and completed more than 400 passes, dictating much of the game’s tempo.

Birmingham refused to back down and found a deserved equaliser eight minutes later. Jhon Solís delivered an excellent pass for Abdelkarim, whose unfortunate touch resulted in Birmingham drawing level at 2-2 and forcing the match into a penalty shootout.

Both managers made numerous substitutions during the second half, giving several young players valuable minutes as part of their pre-season preparations.

The changes kept the intensity high and allowed both teams to test different tactical options ahead of the new campaign.

The shootout proved dramatic, but Birmingham held their nerve to secure a 3-2 victory, delighting their supporters with an impressive result against one of world football’s most decorated clubs.

Although the match carried no competitive stakes, Birmingham will take great confidence from the performance, while Barcelona leave with positives despite the defeat, having continued to build match fitness and evaluate their squad before the new season begins.