Lionel Messi Champions League goals send Barcelona into quarter-finals where Liverpool and Manchester City could punish them
In a seven-day period where both Real Madrid and Atltico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League despite favourable first leg scorelines, Barcelonas 5-1 win over Lyon and progression to the quarter-finals will feel particularly sweet.
6Barcelona sailed through to the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of LyonFor every year since 2015, Madrid have gone further in Europe than Bara, while Atleti were Spains biggest summer spenders and had a final at their home ground to look forward to. Yet despite the former having two away goals and facing an opponent with far lesser resources in the last 16, and the latter going into their tie with a 2-0 advantage, both were humiliated and comprehensively taken apart, sent home early.
6Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick for Juventus to dump Atletico Madrid out of the Champions League, while his former club, Real Madrid, were eliminated by AjaxBara, meanwhile, failed to score away from home in a sluggish first leg against Lyon, and seemingly had the mountain to climb. Ernesto Valverdes men ultimately conquered it, scoring five goals and booking their ticket to the quarter-finals by a sizeable margin. Thats the result on paper. Considered in detail, the performance was a mixed back though. At times in the first half, the Blaugrana were sublime. For 20 minutes in the second they were awful, and fortunate the team in front of them was not one of higher quality.First the good: in phases of the opening 45 minutes it looked like the thrilling Bara of old, turning on the afterburners in the final third to erode Lyons defence, and stroking the ball around with a cold head in front of their own goal when under pressure, frustrating onrushing opposition.
6Lionel Messi scored twice in Barcelona’s 5-1 win against LyonIn Arthur they have finally found a rare player capable of playing the Xavi role, and his first half showing on Wednesday was nothing short of an exhibition in control and solidarity. There was plenty of the patient, measured passing for which he is gaining a growing reputation, but also moments where the Brazilian would keep opponents guessing by driving forward, dribbling to draw markers and provide vital space for his teammates. Always with his head up, always on the move to provide a safe passing option for players under pressure, in his defensive work he was subtly solid too, never resorting to lunging in and instead pressing and pushing Lyon into mistakes on the ball.
6Coutinho also found the back of the netAnd there are signs of life from Philippe Coutinho, whistled by a section of the Bara support last weekend against Rayo Vallecano, but applauded enthusiastically by the Camp Nou by the time he was withdrawn against Lyon. The number seven seemed out to prove a point, playing sharp exchanges with Luis Suarez and Jordi Alba, and encouragingly choosing not to overuse the option of cutting inside and looking for a shot as has become habitual this season.Coutinhos goal on the half-hour mark, brilliantly teed up by a typically selfless Suarez, was well-deserved, and was the product of threatening, incisive movement that suggests he could yet turn things around and become and important player for the Catalans in the key stage of the season. The Brazilian being taken off in the second period had more to do with the need for pace up front in a stretched game than any failings in his performance (and replacement Ousmane Dembl ultimately scoring on the break proved Valverde was right with that tactical switch).As for that second half, the biggest concern for Barcelonas coach will be how easily his team slipped into the trap of playing with fire, taking their foot off the gas and needlessly giving Lyon a route back into a game in which the French side had been pummelled. Golden chances were wasted by the home team, moves over-complicated and the kind of relaxed attitude you would expect at 5-0 up shown, not at 2-0 as the scoreline was at the time. When the visitors scored through Lucas Tousart to put serious pressure on the LaLiga champions it was entirely through Barcelonas own doing.Valverdes decision to bring on Arturo Vidal, who did what he always does and ran around a lot, committed tactical fouls and broke up play, said it all. There was genuine panic in the air. For 20 minutes the Catalans gave up all control, and in spells Lyon had 10 men in the home teams half.
6Lionel Messi scored twice and created two goals in Barcelona’s demolition of LyonUnfortunately for Bruno Genesios team, Lionel Messi, who had been a touch off pace until then, finally found his radar and scored Baras third on the break just as Lyon were at their most dangerous. With the game then hugely stretched, Messi surged again and picked out Piqu for the fourth, then Dembl for the fifth to end the Ligue 1 sides outing.Yet the scoreline doesnt change how the visitors caused more problems than they should have given the absolute dominance of the Catalans for half of the match. We produced an incredible first half, and later we did find it tricky but we got over it the score was fair, was Valverdes conclusion when asked by Rac1. We have to remember that were in a tough competition where any team can make things difficult for you as we saw in other ties, and it isnt easy.
6Messi was the star of the showComfortable scoreline on Wednesday or not, if Barcelona produce a similar prolonged switch-off against Manchester City, Juventus or Liverpool, they will likely find things are less forgiving. On the other hand, if they can replicate what they did to Lyon for 45 minutes over something closer to a 90-minute period, they could well lift the trophy at the Wanda Metropolitano in May. The jury is still out for the moment.
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