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Barcelona won the La Liga for the 26th time after beating Levante 1-0 with 3 games still left to play. The point difference between Barca and Atletico Madrid who sit at 2nd place increased to 9 points with a goal difference of 25. Celebrations were witnessed at the end of the game after all the players and coaching staff gathered in the field and cheered and sang along the fans. This was Barcelona's 8th league title in 11 years, also winning consecutively as they won it the previous year as well.
Ernesto Valverde penned down a strong starting eleven as he replaced only Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets with Ousmane Dembele and Arturo Vidal respectively. Interestingly, Rakitic took the Busquets role by playing just above the defence line instead of playing on his preferred right mid position where Vidal was playing. The team looked strong and balanced on the paper and was put out to test by Valverde.
The match started with high paced continuous attacks from both sides. Levante looked determined to delay Barca's party plans as they attacked with real strength and character. After the first 10 minutes of total frenzy, the match calmed down as the players settled. Barca started to play their definitive game by moving the ball around but the frequency of attacks looked to be the same.
Coutinho had a galore of chances in the first half to put Barca in the driving seat, but despite his sharpness and work rate during the match, he failed to make his mark on the scoresheet. He struck the post with a free-kick, tamed a header from point-blank into the hands of opposition goalkeeper and missed chances from open play. He could have been the Man of The Match, but lacked clinically and was eventually substituted in the second half by Lionel Messi.
Arthur and Rakitic played their general game in the midfield with top-class passing. Clement Lenglet had some sloppy moments when he gave away the ball to the opposition which led to an instant game chance, but Levante failed to make use of it. Dembele was sharp on the wings as he created many chances but missed some as well. Ter Stegen was at his regular best and got a clean sheet. So were Jordi Alba and Nelson Semedo who looked after the defence and joined the attack.
Levante played deadly football and gave Barcelona many jump scares. They were relentless in their attacking, putting every effort to ruin the night for Barca. Even after going behind, their willingness to attack did not go down and they went after Barca all the way to the final whistle.
This wasn't Barca's normal performance, instead, was a hard-earned victory and here 3 players who were responsible for the win:
#3 Arturo Vidal
Arturo Vidal played one of his best games in the Barcelona shirt as he commanded the mid position from his passing. He was all over the pitch defending as well as driving the team forward. He was seen in the box multiple times in the first half, trying to either get the finishing touch or contribute in the move. He was active throughout the match and it was his sharpness that brought about the winning goal.
Suarez took a shot on goal from the right flank, by taking the ball onto his left foot, which was blocked by a Levante defender. The ball deflected 2 times before reaching the outer line of the box where Vidal was situated. He was sharp enough to snatch the ball before an opposition player, heading it onto the path of Messi who took 2 touches before finding the net.
Vidal's stats were quite impressive as he managed 87.3% pass accuracy, 2 key passes, 1 aerial duel, 1 interception and a game-high 6 tackles completed.
Vidal's assist was crucial for Barca in this match and the team would have struggled to regulate the game if it wasn't for the Chilean.
#2 Gerard Pique
Pique has been one of the most important players for Barcelona without a doubt and this match was no different. His defensive strategy and hard-work were on show as he defended with all his heart and lots of passion. He wasn't shy of meaty tackles and even got bruised up a bit in a hefty tackle where he lunged in, won the ball cleanly but had a collision with an opposition's player. He started limping and got the staff and Barca fans worried for quite some time but got better shortly.
He defended unapologetically through the whole match and the man he is, ran all the way up to the opposition's box with the ball to join the attack. His run was very impressive and just as it looked he looked like he was going to take a shot, he dummied the ball in the path of Vidal who got a good chance, took a shot on goal but a Levante defender blocked it.
Pique managed a staggering 93% passing completion rate along with winning one aerial duel.
Pique got his clean sheet and the trophy which made the night perfect, at least for now. The real challenge is coming up against Liverpool and he would have to put on a great show.
#1 Lionel Messi
The Messiah was at it again for Barcelona. The fans, the neutrals, and the gods awaited his glance in the red and blue stripes. He was left on the bench as he was last week only to come off the bench and cast his magical spell. The same was being anticipated by millions of fans all around the world who wanted to see him on the field turning around the match in their favour and bringing the trophy home once again.
So, the Messiah delivered as he came off the bench straight from the tunnel in the second half, only to score in the 58th minute to change the game in Barca's favour. The little genius played only 45 minutes yet took the Man Of the Match trophy home along with the league title: such was his game.
Barca started to attack even more with Messi on the pitch where he was popping at the centre of the field, carrying the ball towards the opposition box and then either laying it to Suarez or Dembele or taking a shot on his own. He came very close to his and Barca's 2nd goal but missed the frame by an inch during open play.
Messi obviously changed the game with 3 key passes and completed dribbles to accompany the all-important winner off the bench, all in just second half of the game.
He was instrumental in the win and proved his worth to the club and world football once again as he has been doing since his debut. Everything now focuses on Liverpool to see if he can transform this form, there.
