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Barcelona cleaned debutante Huesca's clock with an 8-2 shellacking at the Camp Nou and climb to the top of the table over arch-rivals Real Madrid courtesy of the spurt in goal-difference.
The match started spectacularly with the visitors going ahead inside three minutes through Cucho Hernandez, and continued to be resilient as the Aragon outfit kept the scoreline in check at the break when it was 3-2. However, the Blaugrana upped the ante after the break and gave Huesca no chance, plundering another quintet of goals to completely knock the stuffing out of them.
Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Ivan Rakitic and Jordi Alba all got on the scoresheet on a highly productive evening. Here are three reasons why Barcelona beat Huesca:
#1 Barcelona respond to early setback in the most Barcelona way
Since time immemorial, we've seen Barcelona pull their way out of the deepest holes they were subjugated into. 2-0, 3-0 and even 4-0 scorelines have been wiped out in a matter of few minutes as the Blaugrana possess an eerie quality to turn the match around with an improved display. Today once again when the hosts fell behind, inside barely 180 seconds, you knew a response was coming. So unsurprisingly, a response did cometh. And how.
The hosts woke up from their slumber and began to control the match. Jordi Alba was a livewire down the left flank whereas Messi, as usual, played the battering ram with his incisive runs and delicious crosses. Luis Suarez was a threatening presence in the final third and Ousmane Dembele showed tremendous work ethic.
Barcelona held the ball high up to generate a great deal of pressure as Huesca expectedly gave in. Messi initiated the fightback with another brilliant solo goal before Alba forced an own goal out of Jorge Pulido. Suarez appeared to put the tie beyond doubt with a third as the home side now lead comfortably. Alejandro Gallar did pull the second one back for the minnows after a brain freeze at the back, but Barcelona were already a gear up, and Huesca were going to have a long second-half.
#2 Barcelona crush Huesca's resilience after the break
Given the way the first-half panned out, the second stanza was always going to be interesting. Except, it all happened at one end of the pitch as the reigning champions came back much stronger and knocked all winds out of Huesca's sails. All the talks of a shock draw (or even a defeat) were quashed within 10 minutes of the restart when Dembele and Rakitic added two more to the scoreline.
Barcelona were now clearly in the fourth gear and there was no way the LaLiga newcomers were coming back from this. They cut a swath through the latter with long diagonal balls or crosses from either flank, especially from the left from where Alba ran the rings around the hapless minnows. Two more goals followed before Barcelona forced a defensive error in the box that resulted in a penalty. Suarez duly stepped up and rounded off the rout in the final minute of extra-time.
As much resilient Huesca were in the opening 45 minutes, it all fell apart in the second stanza. The vast gulf in quality came to the fore. They spent almost the entirety of the next 45 in their own half, subject to an avalanche of attacks and Barcelona blew the minnows away with the attritional play.
#3 Jordi Alba's masterclass
Lionel Messi was once again the talisman for his side with two goals and assists each, but Jordi Alba stole the show with a fullback masterclass that continues to take his stock through the stratosphere. The Spaniard was heavily involved in the proceedings, bombing straight down the left flank to connect with the forwards and was the chieftain of Barcelona's comeback in the first half.
A moment of Messi magic later, Alba strode towards the byline and forced an own goal that put the hosts ahead for the first time in the match, before assisting Suarez with another brilliant pass from the left though VAR suggested he was marginally offside. Following a few nervy moments during the opening exchanges, Barcelona were in cruise control in no time, and much of the credit has to be apportioned to the fiery left-back.
Alba continued to pose an immense threat from that flank even in the second half, and capped off his memorable evening with a goal of his own. The 29-year old has certainly started the new season from where he left off last time, and on this form, can have a big say on how Barcelona end this season.
