Together, they won 14 trophies in four years, were the
perfect partners as they shredded defences and left the best of teams in rags and
helped one another create history.
However, on Wednesday night, in front of a bursting Camp
Nou, it was the student who outdid his master. Much had been said about Pep
Guardiola, his return to Barcelona, a club he made one of the best for years.
Since he left the club in 2012, he had taken a sabbatical, a
much-needed rest to savour all the honours he won and also to distract his body
and mind from the pressures of the game. When he returned to management, he
took over Bayern Munich, a giant club in Europe who were trading blows with
Barcelona at the European stage and had delivered a knockout the last time they
faced off.
Lionel Messi was part of a side put to shame when Bayern
Munich won 4-0 at home and 3-0 at Camp Nou in one of the greatest massacres
Barcelona had suffered in Europe in 2013. They were destroyed, hammered into
submission as the Bavarians marched on to the final which they won.
But on Wednesday night, the ‘Little Magician’ returned with
vengeance. He felt challenged. Challenged to win, challenged to get one over
his former boss, challenged to cement his legacy as the world’s best.
With 76 minute on the clock, Messi and his attacking co-workers,
Luis Suarez and Neymar – MSN so they call them these days – had threaded
punches towards Manuel Neuer goal but like Manny Pacquaio on Floyd Mayweather,
they were body shots, not telling enough.
However, a minute later, the man who, at an early age, was
diagnosed with a growth hormone disorder outgrew his peers. Dani Alves must
have, in his mind, scripted a neat one-two exchange with Messi when he fed him
from the right. However, the Argentine had a different thought.
He always thinks differently.
Already disadvantaged by the distance between him and the
goal (25 yards), faced with two classy defenders and the world’s best goalkeeper,
Messi was fearless. Like he often does, he picked his spot, unleashed a
trademark right foot drive and scored a trademark Lionel Messi goal.
1-0 to
Barcelona.
Textbook stuff.
If his first goal in the 77th minute was a
stunner – beating Manuel Neuer at his near post is a dream of impossible proportions – his second was gob
smacking, legendary, magnificent, top-drawer.
After collecting Ivan Rakitic’s ball, Messi mocked Jerome
Boateng – a FIFA World Cup winning defender – leaving him hitting a ‘groundie’
on the floor. That was a job half done. With Neuer still looking big like
incredible Hulk in goal, the Argentine still hard some work to do. A quick flip
of the ball from his left to right boot and an ‘oh my God’ chip of the ball
over Neuer and into the back of the net completed the job.
It was a finish that worthy of a player his class, one that had
the Camp Nou crowd with their hands buried in their hands, that unbelievable.
If his two goals were the dressing of the cake, his assist for Neymar’s third
for Barcelona was the icing.
3-0 and a mountain to climb for Guardiola’s men in the
return leg at the Allianz next week.
On his pre-match presser, Guardiola displayed some level of
fear. He had gladly proclaimed ‘No one can stop Messi.’
He was right. And he knew it all along.
And That’s thesteifmastertake!!
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