Majestic Messi inspires Barcelona to beat Manchester United
Manchester United were off the blocks from the start as FC Barcelona were caught napping. Lingard was doing well while Pogba linked well with Rashford who hit the woodwork and had Ter Stegen saving an attempt on goal. But the finishing left a lot to be desired (looked like action replay from the 1st leg). In the first 15 minutes United had 4 attempts on target while Barcelona stood frozen. Was a Roma like disaster in the making again in the Champions League quarter finals?
A resolute Lionel Messi was having none of it, this time. He was scurrying around
with a bruised nose and an iron will. Even in the first leg, Messi looked
ominous and was decisive with his visionary pass that found Luis Suarez with
unbelievable perfection. He was forced to fall back deep into the Barcelona
half as the midfield failed to link with the rest of the team. But that nasty
whack from Smalling left the Barca Captain concussed and bloodied. Compared to
his usual, lofty, standards, Messi, for obvious reasons kept a low profile
after that knock, though he played out the entire 90 minutes of the 1st leg game.
This time
he was not letting anyone whack him or stop him. In his own backyard, he
tackled and nipped the ball from the United wingers. He was roaming in the
midfield, the Barca box, on the flanks and was also right up front in the
United D. Unlike the earlier game, he
had an enthusiastic, involved Coutinho and a hard working (and misfiring)
Suarez for company.
Initially
Pique and Sergi Roberto had a hard time keeping up with the United attacks but the
plucky Lenglet was solid as a rock from the start. After the initial confusion
and inaction, Arthur and Rakitic became more composed and found their footing.
Rakitic was able to attack more as Arthur held back and slowed down the pace of
the game to Barca’s advantage.
Busquet’s
form could be a huge worry for the team
as he was meandering way too much. But from the moment he stepped in to help
the defense, there was much less tension and more calm in the middle. With
Busquets and Arthur steadying the defense, Alba and Rakitic were more involved
in attacks that helped Messi to forge moves forward.
Against
the run of play. Rakitic almost won a penalty, which was immediately overturned
by VAR. Rashford had another chance as he managed to out-pace Pique but slipped
as he struck the ball and the shot was easily saved by Stegen. Then Phil Jones
was called into action as he headed out a swinging cross from Alba that was aimed
for the lurking Suarez. Now it was end to end stuff.
Then came
the defining moment when Ashely Young decided to act smart. Rakitic closed down
on Young, who was hanging on to the ball for what seemed like ages and attempted
a Cryuff turn. An alert Messi nicked the ball from him and Young tried to make
amends with a sliding challenge, with little success.
Messi
skipped away with the ball and nutmegged Fred (which was, in fact, the easiest
route to the goal) and collected the ball back with dexterity. He then veered
away, sending Jones the wrong way.
Finally, when he had the created the space
he needed, he struck a signature, low, curving drive with that sweet left foot that
was beyond De Gea’s reach. All that Smalling could do was to watch the
wizard weave his magic in close quarters. Barca were up 1-0.
In a
couple of minutes, Coutinho was wrested off the ball by the United defenders.
Of all people, the ball fell to the incoming Messi, who wrong-footed Phil
Jones. De Gea’s howler ensured that Messi’s weak, effort got over the goal
line. With some opportunistic play and some good fortune, Barca were up 2-0 in a
gap of 3 minutes and Manchester United had a mountain to climb.
Pique and
Roberto grew in confidence as Messi’s brace gave the team a much needed lift. The
lively pair of Jordi Alba and Coutinho were giving poor Lindelof a torrid time.
Alba was also linking well with Messi.
During
one such move, Messi could only muster a shot over the goal post, much to the
relief of United. Just before the half-time whistle, the two little guys
conjured a move (during which Messi left Phil Jones for dead with twists, turns
and a nutmeg), to set up a sprinting Roberto perfectly on the right, but
Sergi’s sliding effort ricocheted off De Gea’s face.
As
Barcelona gained in confidence, Manchester United seemed to melt away. There
was no spirit or fight left in them as Messi and Co started to dominate.
After the
first leg, the English press went gaga over how United managed to stop Lionel
Messi. In return, the little guy toyed with the entire United defense all
through the game. While Smalling was invisible throughout the game, Phil Jones
and Fred were spun around by the Barca’s Captain’s web of magic.
The second half saw Barcelona calling the shots from every
part of the ground. Messi was again set up by Luis Saurez but his low shot
deflected off Young. Messi and Saurez were at the receiving end of some rough
tackles. But nothing seemed to deter Messi, as he rarely protested and got on
with his game. The irrepressible Messi kept passing and attacking with the sole
aim of increasing the lead.
Messi was in the midfield (he seemed to be everywhere)
when he nonchalantly, clipped a long ball to Jordi Alba, who crossed it to
Coutinho. After an excellent first touch, the struggling Brazilian unleashed a
25 yard, right footer than found the top corner of the goal with incredible
precision to make it 3-0 for Barcelona. It was vintage Coutinho (something that
was missing in recent months). It was a spectacular effort that sent the Camp
Nou into a tizzy. It was good to see Coutinho getting back to his usual self.
Since it was boring to just have the Alba-Messi combo
running riot, it was time for some Busquets-Messi combo. Busquets, suddenly,
lifted the ball over the ManU defenders towards Messi. As the ball bounced off
the ground, Messi tried a breathtaking, overhead kick which just missed the
mark and even Suarez was stunned by his friend's effort.
Valverde brought in Semedo for Roberto and later Dembele came in for Coutinho while Vidal came in for the impressive Arthur. There were a couple of attacks stitched together by
Manchester United as a last ditch effort to save face. Lingard saw a long range
effort go over the bar while the substitute Alexis Sanchez had a powerful header
saved by the ever alert Ter Stegen, who was determined not to let anything get past him.
An angry Suarez protested and argued with the referee,
when he was not awarded a free kick for a foul He kept on his rant and ended up
with a yellow card.. He was further frustrated when he sent a shot over the
crossbar as his UCL goal drought continued.
The game was into added time. Yet Messi was all over
United and showed no sign of slowing down. Messi and Suarez tried their luck to
get another goal, even after 90 minutes of play. That’s how relentless the two
were when it came to the fight for supremacy.
United had given up the fight when it was 2-0. Watching
them play, one forgot that there were players like Martial, Lingard, Pogba,
Rashford (except for the first 15 minutes) in the field for United. What were these
players doing in the ground was unclear, especially in the second half.
It was one of those nights when Manchester United came
up against a Leo Messi who was into his superman mode. He took his own game to a higher
level and in the process inspired his struggling teammates to rally round him,
which they obliged with all their might.
A not so great Barca had managed to make it this far with their grit and
brilliance. They would meet either Liverpool (most likely) or FC Porto. It is
going to be a tough road ahead. But everything is in their hands now – it’s up
to them to take it or leave it. But one thing is for sure - Captain Messi is
not going to let go of it easily and would fight till the end.
Image Credits - Google Images
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