They say that destiny is the supreme entity that decides the life of a person. Nothing can beat it, nothing can alter it. We are just, they say, mere puppets to the will of fate—a rule that even God doesn’t break.
In the great epic, the Mahabharata, when the Kauravas and Pandavas were on the brink of an inevitable war, Lord Krishna himself met the Kauravas in one last attempt to avert the impending clash that would leave millions dead.
However, even the omnipotent Krishna couldn’t persuade the evil Duryodhana to give the Pandavas their birthright. Hence, the war took place, lasting for 16 days and inflicting destruction so gargantuan that the war was considered a pyrrhic.
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When Paris-Saint Germain beat the Blaugrana 4-0 at the Parc de Princes, almost everyone had given up hope on the Catalans qualifying for the next round. It, perhaps, was their destiny to bow out from the round of 16 of this year’s Champions League.
Except that it wasn’t; fate had something else in mind.
Despite having an army almost twice the size of the Pandavas, the Kauravas were constantly warned by the learned that with Lord Krishna on the side of the Pandavas, anything was possible.
See, it might be a sin to compare God with man, but if we are speaking in pure analogical terms, then it could be claimed that Lionel Messi is the Lord Krishna in this story. Despite all the despair, there was hope that something was possible as long as the Argentine was playing for the Catalans.
At half-time, Barca were up by three goals and needed just two more, without conceding any, to qualify for the next round. Half of their work was done — just like how the Pandavas took a huge stride towards victory after Kauravas’ general and best warrior, Bhishma, was slayed.
But after Bhishma’s demise, Dronacharya took over the reins and tormented the Pandavas with his fury. He desecrated them and things were looking gloomy for the Pandavas once again.
The same happened with Barcelona when Edinson Cavani scored for Paris-Saint Germain. It looked like everything had ended for the Blaugrana, but once again, fate intervened.
Barcelona scored three more goals without conceding and won the tie 6-1. It was the greatest comeback in the history of football and it is doubtful whether we will see such a thing ever again.
Yes, Barcelona did get help through controversial decisions going in their favour, but that is fate. That is the help from destiny that the Cules got.
When Arjuna, Pandavas’ best warrior, vowed to kill Jayadratha before sunset or commit suicide if he failed to do so, Jayadratha went into a hiding. At the very last moment before sunset, the clouds completely obscured the sun, and made it so dark that it felt like the day was over.
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In jubilance, Jayadratha came out with arms held high in joy. However, just that very moment, the clouds moved away and paved the way for the sun’s ray to shine on the earth. Arjuna didn’t wait for a split second and beheaded Jayadratha with a shot of an arrow.
Cavani’s goal was PSG’s Jayadratha jubilance moment. They thought the match was over, but Neymar had his Arjuna-moment and smashed two goals and assisted the third in the final 10 minutes of the game, making Barcelona victorious.
Both the Mahabharata and the football game taught us one thing: if there is enough will and determination, nothing is impossible. When nobody gave Barca a chance, they raised hell at the Camp Nou and scored six goals to get themselves to the next round.
Paris-Saint Germain, on the other hand, knew not what had happened to them. It was a defeat that will leave a mark on their minds for the rest of their life.
When Barca players will grow and look back on their football career, this 6-1 win will perhaps be the most sensational moment for them since every accolade that they won lacks the implausibility that the win against PSG gives.
And, despite all the controversy surrounding the referee, Barcelona deserve respect purely because of the mental strength and courage they showed while trailing.
People always claim that young kids should watch Barcelona in order to learn the game. However, the 6-1 win is something different — it should be shown to everyone in order to learn life. That no matter how many odds are stacked against us, there is always hope that fate has a way out for us.
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And Barcelona have – who is considered by a majority of football fans – the ‘God of football’ in their team, so they almost always decide their own fate.
Even though I am a supporter of Real Madrid, I would go as far as this and say: Barca, despite the claims of referee favouritism, you have won my respect because what you did happens only once in a lifetime.
