Barcelona scored three times in the last 15 minutes of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Bayern Munich this evening, running out 3-0 winners to put themselves within touching distance of the final.
The hosts squandered a number of clear chances in a frantic opening to the match, but finally broke the deadlock in the 77th minute when Lionel Messi rifled a shot past Manuel Neuer at his near post.
Messi grabbed hold of the game and soon added a sublime second, before Neymar potentially put the tie beyond Bayern with a third in the final minute of stoppage time.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at an enthralling showdown at Camp Nou.
Match statistics
BARCELONA
Shots: 15
On target: 8
Possession: 45%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 15
BAYERN MUNICH
Shots: 8
On target: 0
Possession: 55%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
First things first, this match was a pleasure and a privilege to behold. The quality level throughout from both sides was astonishing and the spectacle lived up to all expectations and beyond. The match started at a frenetic pace as Bayern came out with seemingly suicidal tactics of playing three at the back against Barcelona's front three of Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. The hosts created a number of clear chances as a result, and Bayern were fortunate to still be in the match after 15 minutes.
Pep Guardiola changed his defensive ploy to steady things, and Bayern settled into the game as a result, but it was still Barcelona who looked most threatening. The visitors had Neuer to thank for keeping them in the tie during the first half, with the German keeper making particularly good saves to deny both Suarez and Dani Alves. Bayern started the second half well, however, and began to see a lot more of the ball inside the Barcelona half. They looked relatively comfortable for much of the second period, until Messi's genius took the game beyond them.
The Argentine was untouchable in the final 15 minutes as Barca did what they should have done in the opening 15 and punished their visitors. It always felt like there would be a goal in this match, but such a quickfire treble will have rocked Bayern to the core, with their hopes of the final now hanging by a thread. The visitors enjoyed more of the ball than their hosts, but there is little doubt that Barca deserve their victory. They created the better chances and played the better football, although the three-goal winning margin is perhaps harsh on a stubborn Bayern.
Barcelona's performance
There is a case to be made that the football Barcelona are playing at the moment is as good as anything they played during the glory days of Guardiola. They were assisted by some risky tactics from their former boss in the opening exchanges tonight, but the only thing missing from the first-half display was a goal. Suarez, Alves and Neymar all missed good chances before the break, and Luis Enrique would have gone into the interval wondering just how his side weren't ahead.
They found things a little more difficult in the opening 10 minutes of the second half as Bayern grew into the match, but that deadly front three - who have a staggering 111 goals between them this season after tonight - always looked like a threat. Suarez and Neymar have both picked up braces in the knockout rounds of the Champions League already this season, and today it was Messi's turn as his sheer brilliance proved to be the difference. Barca were certainly worthy of their goals, but not even they would have expected three to arrive in the final 13 minutes.
The individual genius of Messi will steal all of the headlines, but it was a fabulous team display from Barca tonight. They played with a great intensity both on and off the ball and realistically could have put five or six past a Bayern side who boast the best defence in Europe's top five leagues. They will know all too well that the job is not yet done having lost 4-0 at the Allianz Arena just two years ago, but this Barcelona in this form look to be unstoppable. It would take something special to prevent them from lifting the trophy this season.
Bayern Munich's performance
Much of the pre-match build-up surrounded Guardiola's return to Camp Nou, but his tactics in the opening 20 minutes or so were baffling. He left just three at the back, going man-for-man on arguably the most dangerous attacking trio in football history, as Bayern looked to attack their hosts. Whether you consider such a ploy brave, admirable or just downright stupid, it certainly didn't work. From a neutral point of view, it made things incredibly exciting, but Barcelona's forwards were being afforded far too much space and should have taken advantage.
That the visitors were still in the match at half time was as much down to Neuer as anything else, although they did create a golden chance of their own in the opening 20 minutes when Robert Lewandowski couldn't convert a Thomas Muller cross. Guardiola finally switched to four at the back, making his side look a lot more solid and balanced, and for a while it looked like they may get something out of the game. They just about held off the brilliance of Barcelona's front three for the opening 75 minutes, and enjoyed plenty of the ball themselves in the second half especially.
However, perhaps the most glaring statistic above shows that Guardiola's side did not have a single shot on target throughout. They contributed to a thoroughly entertaining spectacle, but in truth rarely looked like they would win the match. They will feel that a 3-0 defeat is harsh having provided stubborn resistance for the majority of the game, but they came up against an inspired Messi in the final 15 minutes. That was the main difference between the sides, and Bayern now have a mountain to climb in the second leg. If anyone can do it, it is probably Guardiola's side, but they will need to throw caution to the wind against that Barcelona front three.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Lionel Messi: Cometh the hour, cometh the man. When Barcelona needed their superstar to stand up, Messi did exactly that with a scintillating spell of football to take the tie away from Bayern. Guardiola described Messi as "unstoppable" in the build-up to the match, and that is precisely what the Argentine maestro proved to be. His first goal was a crisp strike, but it was his second that will grab all of the headlines.
The four-time World Player of the Year left Jerome Boateng on his backside inside the box before dinking a beauty of a finish over Neuer, making a mockery of the world's best goalkeeper. It was a strike comparable to his solo effort in the semi-finals against Real Madrid four years ago. He also provided the assist for Neymar's goal to cap off a dazzling performance. As an added bonus, his brace takes him back above Cristiano Ronaldo as the all-time leading scorer in Champions League history.
Biggest gaffe
They may not have been punished for it, but Bayern's tactics in the opening 15-20 minutes almost handed Barcelona the tie there and then. It is hard to believe Guardiola didn't know exactly what he was doing, but whether it was brave or stupid, it was certainly a mistake.
Referee performance
Nicola Rizzoli let a lot of things go in this match, which irked Suarez especially. His card came out plenty of times in the second half, however, as the game became a little more scrappy. All in all, though, it was a solid performance from the experienced Italian.
What next?
Barcelona: Barca welcome Real Sociedad and David Moyes to Camp Nou on Saturday as they look to continue their charge towards the treble.
Bayern: Bayern, meanwhile, have already wrapped up the Bundesliga title and so can afford to rest players when they host Augsburg on Saturday.
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