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A game of two halves. The first half started with the Catalans keeping possession and eerily closing in on scoring early. The breakthrough came in the 32nd minute when a certain diminutive Argentine scored an incisive freekick from just outside the box.
PSV came into the match on the back of an impressive domestic scoring streak and certainly created a lot of chances against the Spanish champions as well. They were pretty wasteful with their efforts and it came to bite them back in the second half.
The second half started with Los Cules on the front foot. Dembele showed some incredible moves all through the match and his moment came in the 75th minute when he single-handedly decided to take on the entire PSV midfield and defense. He twinkle-toed through the players like they were training cones and shot a cool rocket in the back of the net taking the game away from the Dutch side.
Messi did little to help PSV's cause when he quickly changed the scoreline from 2-0 to 4-0 with some incredible movement inside the box. Let's discuss what the fans would take away from the game.
Arthur is worth all the hype
Arthur came on in the 83rd minute and had a sum total of 12 minutes to prove his worth on the big stage.
He came on for a 10-men Barca side after Samuel Umtiti was sent off and the former Gremio player did not disappoint one bit. Many Cules would have had a feeling of deja-vu when they must have seen Arthur playing with the ball at his feet like a certain Xavi used to.
Movement, control, vision, and astute passing were key to his playing style and he showed more in 12 minutes than many of the midfielders Barcelona bought to replace Xavi had done in full games.
Arthur embodies the three principles of Barcelona's style. Position, Possession, and Play. A real catch for Ernesto Valverde's side.
Hirving 'Chucky' Lozano
On the eve of the opening match of the 2018/19 season against Barcelona, Hirving Lozano of PSV came forward and said that his dream was to play for Barcelona one day and that he had wallpapers and pictures of the club and the players. He also stated that he admired Lionel Messi and would certainly like to play with him one day.
His audition for the Barcelona team was bittersweet in every sense. He proved a thorn in Barca's side for the entire length of the game but was wasteful in converting his chances.
He did something that not many players have done. He outpaced Jordi Alba and took a curling shot at Marc André Ter-Stegen's goal. He also came close to putting his name on the scoresheet but was judged offside for his attempt at goal.
Overall, he needs to improve on a lot of things if he wishes to strut his stuff at the Camp Nou turf one day.
Suarez has still got it
A lot has been said about the Uruguayan in the past few months and how he has not done nearly enough of what was expected of him.
He didn't get on the scoresheet today but everything about his game was representative of a true number 9. He was too much to deal with for the center backs of the Eredivisie club. He harrowed full backs and also the goalkeeper and was very clever in many instances.
His connection with Messi on the pitch will yield a lot of trophies in the current season as they both know what the other will do and what their next move will be.
Messi is serious about his promise to the Barcelona fans
Before the season started, the newly appointed captain of the Barca 2018/19 squad, Lionel Messi, took the microphone in his hand and addressed the Camp Nou faithful straight on.
He said that he and the rest of the Barcelona squad had unfinished business to attend to in the Champions League and that he promises to do everything in his power to bring that beautiful cup back to the Camp Nou.
What he did today was just another day at the office for the G.O.A.T.
A sweet-sweet freekick from outside the box just over the wall and out of the reach of the away side keeper. Both of his other goals came late into the second half when he moved brilliantly inside the box and controlled a pass from above the opposition defense to slam home the goals.
With 6 shots, 4 on target and 3 goals, Messi has shown that he meant whatever he said to the fans and that he would bring the club it's 6th Champions League title.
