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Barcelona welcomed Manchester United to the Camp Nou for the second leg of the Champions League Quarterfinal tie, with one foot firmly in the Semifinals. The Catalans had won the away leg 1-0, thanks to a Luke Shaw own goal and had a pretty comfortable night at Old Trafford. And at the Camp Nou, besides the away goal, they had another interesting advantage.
Manchester United had never defeated Barcelona at the Camp Nou before, so Valverde was aware that he had history on his side. However, the Spaniard was also wary of the threat that United possessed, especially since Barcelona's defending this season had been far from impressive. And United's brilliant comeback against PSG in the Quarterfinals was also in his mind. As such, the Spaniard named his best possible starting eleven for the game.
He went with Ter Stegen at goal, with Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, and Alba as the preferred back four. The midfield had a familiar look about it, with Rakitic and Arthur partnering Busquets. Up front, the lethal trio of Coutinho, Suarez, and Messi were ready to do the damage.
Even though United started the game well, Barcelona managed to come into their own soon. They even had a penalty claim, which was overturned by VAR. The Catalans finally took the lead through Messi in the 16th minute. The Argentinean then scored his second of the night 4 minutes later. Coutinho made it 3-0 in the 61st minute and Barcelona comfortably won the game.
The Catalans have progressed into the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League again and for that, they have these 5 men to thank.
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#5 Gerard Pique
Pique did not have too much to do on the night, as United failed to pile up the pressure on the home defense. Barcelona enjoyed extended periods of possession, but United did threaten to hit them on the counter on a couple of occasions. Thankfully for the Catalans, Pique stayed composed and alert throughout the game.
The Spaniard was especially vital during the opening stages of the game when United had intent and desire. The away side did carve out at least one clear cut chance when Rashford was fed in by Pogba.
However, Pique closed the Englishman in a flash and put him under pressure, causing him to shoot wide. In the few other occasions that United did try to catch Barcelona on the counter, Pique denied any room to Rashford to affect the game. The Spaniard enabled Barcelona to stay compact at the back and helped them dictate the game and then win it with ease.
#4 Philippe Coutinho
The Brazilian started from the left and did have extra motivation, playing against one of his old foes. But Coutinho did find going a bit tough at the start, especially since he failed to break Lindelof, who was tight to him and denied him any room to have an impact. The Swede matched step for step with the Brazilian and did not allow him to assert his influence in the first half.
In reply, Coutinho drifted inside and combined well with his midfield to affect the game through a central position. He was unmarked here and often stitched together a series of passes to put the pressure on the United defense. But it was in the 61st minute that Coutinho finally had his moment.
A beautiful ball from Messi was headed into the Brazilian’s way by Suarez and Coutinho took a couple of steps inside, set himself up and unleashed a sweet volley to make it 3-0. It was the goal that ultimately broke United.
#3 Arthur
The Brazilian had a lot on his platter on the night. Sergio Busquets wasn’t too impressive and was put under pressure by United. Arthur realized this and stepped in to ensure that Barcelona were never short in midfield.
The Brazilian was brilliant in the midfield and played his natural game with ease. He quietly took control of the midfield and also managed to stay away from any attention from United.
Arthur was very good at tight places as United closed him down. He kept the ball moving and ensured that the forward men were never short of supply. He skipped past challenges, switched play and dictated the tempo of the game. And he did everything in his easy, languid style.
The Brazilian was also vital in tracking back and defending and was always around when needed. United had no answer to Arthur, who helped Barcelona win the game.
#2 Ivan Rakitic
The Croatian was vital for Barcelona on the night and perhaps covered every blade of grass on the Camp Nou in a bid to help his team progress into the Semifinals. Rakitic was a stellar presence in the midfield and provided the fire that kept Barcelona ticking. The Croatian was as effective going forward as he was doing the dirty work and his overall performance helped his team win the game.
Rakitic started the night in the back foot, like his team, but was instrumental in helping Barcelona get back into the game. He took charge of the proceedings and most importantly, took responsibility. Rakitic realized that United were gaining in stature in the game and doubled his efforts to take charge of the midfield. He even won a penalty for Barcelona, but it was correctly ruled out by VAR.
The Croatian helped Barcelona withstand United’s fiery start to the game and was vital in stopping them carving out clear cut chances on the night.
#1 Lionel Messi
Before the night, Lionel Messi was accused of failing to live up to his reputation in the Quarterfinals of the Champions League. Messi had even failed to score in the away leg at Old Trafford, but back in his home ground, with the backing of his fans, the maestro was plotting to take charge of the game.
His first action of the night stunned the away side and send Camp Nou into frenzied celebrations. Messi won the ball from Young, skipped over the Englishman’s challenge, drove past Jones and Smalling and then unleashed the perfect curling shot into the far corner. It swung beyond the reach of the diving De Gea and into the back of the net. A work of art from the master artist.
Four minutes later he doubled the score, with his right boot. However, it was an error from De Gea, who allowed a soft hit to go past him with ease. But Messi did not stop there. Once the goals had come, the Argentinean continued to entertain, skipping past challenges, nutmegging people and spreading smiles.
Barcelona won the game thanks to their Skipper and are now the favorites to lift the trophy because they have the best player in the world in their ranks. Lionel Messi blew Manchester United away and led Barcelona into the Semifinals.
