Barcelona 3-0 Guangzhou Evergrande: 5 Talking Points

Barcelona were head and shoulders above their Chinese counterparts.

European champions Barcelona comfortably saw off Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande as aLuis Suarez hat-trick ensured a 3-0 victory and booked a place in the final against Argentinian giants River Plate this Sunday. Shorn of their two attacking stars Lionel Messi and Neymar, Les Cules initially struggled to break down a rigid Guangzhou backline as they lacked the precision in the final third and failed to create good chances.Suarez, who led the line in Messi and Neymars absence, finally broke the deadlock 10 minutes from half-time after latching on to a rebound, and doubled their advantage early post the break as he beautifully combined with Iniesta to slot into the top corner unmarked. The Uruguayan striker then killed the tie off from 12 yards after Munir El Haddadi was brought down inside the area and became the first player ever to net a treble in the competition.Here are some of the talking points from the game in Yokohama.

#1 Barcelona no match for Guangzhou

Barcelona were head and shoulders above their Chinese counterparts.

The game was a mere walk in the park for the European champions after a few hitches early on. The Southern China Tigers made life difficult for Barcelona during the initial stages of the game as some resolute defending and close man-marking kept Barca at arm’s length. The absence of Messi and Neymar seemed to have been felt when they lacked the fluidity in the attack, but the brilliance of Luis Suarez eventually proved conclusive.

Once the former Liverpool hitman broke the deadlock, Barcelona stamped their authority on the game. Holding a lion’s share of possession, the Catalan side attacked with vigour and Guangzhou spent most of the second half in the opposition half. Two more goals from Suarez and the game was all over.

The Chinese side were left gasping for even a sniff at the goal and hardly ever tested Barcelona’s backline. They were the second best team for a large swathe of the game, and no match for the giants from Europe.

#2 Suarez is the best striker in the world now

Luis Suarez has been in a great form throughout the year.

In the absence his partners-in-crime, Luis Suarez took over the talismanic mantle for his side and made light of their unavailability by netting a superb hat-trick. He was the cynosure for most of the threat coming from the Barca side and burnished his reputation as the most in-form striker in the world right now with a yet another dazzling display.

The 28-year-old was on hand to latch on to the rebound that came off shot stopper Shuai and grabbed a second after a well-worked move with Andres Iniesta. The midfield maestro laid an excellent cross over the Guangzhou defence which Suarez nonchalantly slotted home and capped off his third treble in a Barcelona shirt by tucking away a penalty with absolute venom.

Suarez initially struggled to life in Catalonia, but has slotted in seamlessly since the turn of the year and has endured a fantastic 2015 even on a personal front, scoring a barrage of goals. His hat-trick takes his tally for the season to 22 in 23 appearances and is arguably the best striker currently on display.

#3 Iniesta still rules the roost in midfield

Andres Iniesta weaved his magic from midfield

Andres Iniesta may be in the twilight of his career, but he hasn't lost his magical touch yet. Often shaded by the prolific ‘MSN’ trio, who usually steal all the limelight, the 31-year-old orchestrated his side’s attacking play here with great aplomb, knitting a string of passes.

Although Barcelona found it hard to break down Guangzhou during the early exchanges, Iniesta kept the juice flowing from the centre of the park by laying crosses in dangerous areas and creating chances for his side. Munir, who was at the receiving end of two of those chances, failed to convert them but Iniesta’s work bore fruit when Suarez clinically booted the lob into the top corner for the second goal of the evening.

Luis Suarez may have been bestowed with the ‘Man of the Match’ award, but one cannot deny that Iniesta deserved it just as much.

#4 Guangzhou should pat themselves on the back

Guangzhou must hold their heads up

Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande may have lost comfortably but still deserve the plaudits for putting up a brave and valiant fight. Despite knowing that the writing was on the wall, the Chinese side refused to throw in the towel and frustrated Barcelona early on with some robust defending.

The Catalan outfit dominated possession, as usual, but struggled to break down the Guangzhou backline. Before netting a hat-trick, even Suarez had difficulties in breaching the compact defence, and it seemed as if it wouldn’t be a stroll for Barcelona as expected.

The Chinese side were then dealt with a blow when skipper Zou Zheng had to be carried off with a serious knee injury, and Suarez found the net just minutes later. The men from China could have equalised right after, but Claudio Bravo did well to keep out Elkeson.

Although Barcelona completely dominated after the break and Guangzhou’s resistance wore thin that eventually led to their downfall, manager Luis Felipe Scolari should be proud of his troops and take away plenty of positives from this tie.

#5 An enticing finale awaits

2015 Club World Cup final: River Plate vs Barcelona

And with this, Barcelona progress to the final to take on River Plate – the most decorated club from South America. The Argentinian outfit wished for a dream meeting with their counterparts after seeing off Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the semis, and their wish has now been fulfilled.

Marcelo Gallardo’s side are a different proposition from Guangzhou. They are more direct, threatening and strong at the back. They are the champions of Latin America and, despite the odds, can be a tough opposition.

River Plate are one the strongest sides outside Europe, but Barcelona will be armoured with Messi and Neymar, who are likely to return from their injury lay-offs. And that makes the Club World Cup final all the more enthralling and worth watching.

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Edited by Staff Editor