'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lionel Messi’s second-half brace and Neymar’s stoppage time goal spoiled Pep Guardiola’s homecoming and put Barcelona in a commanding position after the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich.The hosts dominated the early exchanges but with no reward. And just when it looked as though a fascinating game was going to finish goalless, Messi fired home from the edge of the box to give the Catalans a vital lead.The Argentine doubled that three minutes later. As the visitors went in search of the crucial game, Neymar raced through unchallenged and scored as Luis Enrique’s side exacted some measure of revenge for their 3-0 home defeat in 2013.Here are the major talking points from the game:
#1 Football at its finest
One of the problems with big games is that they seldom live up to the hype. But this did and more. With two coaches who only know one way of playing football, the game was a spectacle unlike any other. If Tuesday's clash between Juventus and Real Madrid was open and entertaining, this just pushed it up another notch. Although the game was goalless until the final 15 minutes, there was no doubting the entertainment value provided by both sides, who wanted to score and take the game away from the other.
But given the scoreline, it looks unlikely that this will be repeated next Tuesday. As disappointed as Bayern are with the result, they can be proud of the fact that they were the reason this game was arguably the game of the season.
#2 Guardiola gets it all wrong
It is not very often that Pep Guardiola, one of the brightest minds in football gets his tactics wrong. But against the Catalans, he got wrong, not once, not twice but thrice. His first mistake was in thinking that he can play three against three at the back against the world's most potent attacking trio at the moment. While he corrected his mistake after 15 minutes of madness, he made another in the second half by removing Thomas Muller, who was arguably the side's best player along with Neuer.
Last but not least, 2-0 down in stoppage with another leg to go, most managers would just sit back and accept it. But Guardiola's decision to go for the away goal might just have cost Bayern, who look as though they are going to go out in the semi-final to a Spanish club for the second year running.
#3 Messi makes the difference
For 75 minutes, there was no goals, but no lack of entertainment in the game. The home side should have been ahead in the first half, but Manuel Neuer's saves from Luis Suarez and Dani Alves ensured parity. But with the game and the tie delicately poised, Messi took matters into his own hands. His first goal was reminiscent of the goal that beat Edwin van der Sar in the Champions League final at Wembley.
And just when you thought he couldn't beat that, he did. After picking up the ball on the edge of the penalty area, he made a fool of Jerome Boateng, who was left on his backside before dinking the ball over the 6ft 3in Neuer. After that, he even had the vision and patience to pick up an assist for the third goal and cap off what was another fantastic performance.
#4 Can Pep survive another season?
There is absolutely no doubt that Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. But for all of his achievements and trophies, there is one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb. His record away from home in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Defeat at Camp Nou was his sixth and his win percentage in away games is just 23.5%.
For a manager that record is simply unacceptable and what's worse is that he has only three wins out of 15 away knockout ties in Europe's premier competition and his side has kept only four clean sheets. Even if the Bavarians somehow manage to make a miraculous comeback in the second leg, the Spaniard's record is unlikely to sit well with the hierarchy. And with his contract coming to an end next season, one wonders whether he will stay on beyond that if he doesn't end his dismal away run in the Champions League.
#5 Neuer unable to save his side this time
One of the reasons why Bayern have such a good defensive record is not because they have good defenders, which they do, but because they have someone in between the sticks, who is revolutionizing the art of goalkeeping. There were two occasions in the first half, when it looked as though the visitors' decision to press high up and play with three at the back, seemed suicidal. Both Luis Suarez and Dani Alves were through on goal, but in Neuer they found an impenetrable wall that was blocking their path to goal.
For a long time, it looked as though, despite all the attacking from both sides, this game might finish nil-nil. But in the end, it wasn't to be a clean sheet for the German shot-stopper as a quick shot and sublime dink made it 2-0 to Barca, who were thankful to a genius of their own, Messi, for making the impossible possible.
