Molinaro on Barcelona: Still the best
Posted February 14, 2012 7:20 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
In case you missed it, here are the highlights from Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League action.
Match highlights: Barcelona 3, Leverksuen 1 | Lyon 1, APOEL 0
The scores
Barcelona beat Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 in Germany, while Lyon held on for a 1-0 victory over visiting APOEL.
What these results mean
We always knew it was going to be an uphill battle for Leverkusen, and that the only way they would have a chance in this tie would be if they could limit the damage by the Catalans in Germany. But containing Barcelona is easier said than done, and the reigning champions are virtually assured a spot in the quarter-finals — getting a result at Camp Nou in the second leg is a formality.
As for APOEL, they’re likely feeling pretty good about themselves, having conceded only a single goal in France. This tie is very much still up for grabs, and if APOEL can knick a goal in the return leg at home, then they’ll have a chance to advance to the next round. The Cypriots will have to open it up a bit, though, and can’t rely on the same ultra defensive tactics they used on Tuesday.
The major storyline
We all saw this coming, didn’t we?
Fresh off a shocking 3-2 loss to Osasuna on the weekend — a result that put Barcelona 10 points back of front-running Real Madrid in La Liga — the Catalans poured on the style Tuesday, putting the sword to Bayer Leverkusen with another master class exhibition of ball possession.
Floundering domestically, Barcelona had a point to prove, and they used Europe’s grandest stage to let everybody know, lest they doubt it for a second, that they’re still the best team on the planet.
Barcelona enjoyed 78 per cent of the ball at the midway point and finished the game with a staggering 72 percentage. It’s obvious but it bears repeating: when you control possession, you control the game.
Leverkusen couldn’t win the ball off the Spaniards and it seemed as though all 11 players were permanently camped out in their half of the field for the opening 45 minutes. Only after they made halftime adjustments and started to assert themselves did the Germans come into the game and put any kind of pressure on the champions.
But by then it was too late, as Barcelona switched into first gear, forcing Leverkusen to chase shadows.
The Spanish title is beyond Barcelona’s reach, and that’s bad news for the rest of the Champions League contenders as the Catalans will be even more focused and determined to repeat as champions.
Interesting tidbits
— Tuesday’s result marked Pep Guardiola’s first ever win in the round of 16 of the Champions League away from home.
— Lionel Messi now has 19 career goals in the Champions League knock-out stages, breaking the record previously held by Raul and Andriy Shevchenko.
— Lyon finished its match with 63 per cent of the possession and outshot the Cypriot team 18-1.
Goal of the day
Sitting on a 2-1 lead late in the game, Barcelona sealed the win in the 88th minute on a brilliant play between Lionel Messi and Dani Alves. Messi’s pass sprung Alves and the Brazilian scampered down the right flank before delivering a pinpoint cross into the box for the Argentine to knock into the back of the net.
Play of the day: Lionel Messi’s goal for Barcelona
Save of the day
Victor Valdes didn’t have anything to do in first half, but with Leverkusen only down a goal and putting Barcelona under pressure, the Spanish goalkeeper crucially tipped Gonzalo Castro’s effort onto the post midway through the second half.
Burning questions
— Looking ahead to the second leg, will APOEL stick to its defensive and counter-attacking game plan right from the start? Or will they begin the match by being a little more adventurous in attack and try to open up Lyon?
— If APOEL does employ the same tactics, will Lyon be able to break them down more easily than they did in the first leg?
— With the tie well in hand, will Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola rest Lionel Messi for the second leg in the Camp Nou?
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Zenit v Benfica live on Sportsnet World starting at 11:45 am ET, and AC Milan v Arsenal ive on Sportsnet starting at 2:30 pm ET.
3 stars
1.) Lionel Messi: Who else? The world’s best player scored one goal and set up another one, delivering a gorgeous pass for Alexis Sanchez to run onto and slot past the Leverkusen goalkeeper.
2.) Alexis Sanchez: This was by far the Chilean’s best performance for the Catalans since his summer from Udinese, scoring an important brace in his first ever start in the Champions League.
3.) Alexandre Lacazette: Not only did the Frenchman score the decisive goal for Lyon, but he also displayed his playmaking ability by setting up his teammates with several quality scoring chances.
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