Valery Karpin scored the vital goal in front of approximately 45,000 fans to give the Moscow side a 2-2 draw against the Spanish champion. Barcelona leads Group A of the Champions League, the round-robin quarterfinals of the Champions Cup.
Barcelona took a 1-0 lead when Hristo Stoitchkov controlled a throw-in in the Spartak end and easily beat the Moscow goalie. The Spanish side was much quicker than the rusty Spartak team, which was playing its first competitive match after the two-month winter break.
Barcelona went further ahead when Romario headed in a one-touch cross off a corner kick to make it 2-0 in the 65th minute.
Spartak came alive in the final 10 minutes of the game when Sergei Rodionov managed to knock the ball into the net in a goalmouth scramble in the 80th minute, setting the stage for Karpin's 89th-minute equalizer.
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