“Better teams than us have found it difficult,”
Brendan Rodgers said before this game, but even
he cannot have imagined it would be quite this
hard. Celtic’s opening night in this season’s
Champions League was a long one, a goal
coming inside the opening three minutes,
Brendan Rodgers said before this game, but even
he cannot have imagined it would be quite this
hard. Celtic’s opening night in this season’s
Champions League was a long one, a goal
coming inside the opening three minutes,
another coming inside the closing three minutes
and five more between them. Three for Leo
Messi, two for Luis Suárez and one each for
Neymar and Andrés Iniesta completed a
destruction, Celtic’s worst ever defeat in this
competition and Barcelona’s best win. No
European Cup-winning club has ever lost by more
in this competition.
For a manager who declared himself an “admirer
of everything that Barcelona stand for”, this was
a painful demonstration of their qualities.
Barcelona inflicted seven goals and a thousand
cuts upon their visitors, not just playing the
game in Celtic’s half but playing much of it
inside their own area. If the first half was
impressive, the second was cruel. By the end, a
Moussa Dembélé penalty saved by Marc-André
ter Stegen was long forgotten, buried beneath
the football that engulfed Celtic. Rodgers
admitted he felt helpless as he watched from the
touchline.
It started early from a corner, but not by the
traditional route. Instead Neymar took it short to
Jordi Alba, who gave it back to him out on the
left touchline from where he cut back inside and,
with the defence stepping out, turned the ball
into the area for Messi to control and hit high
into the top corner from the edge of the six-yard
box. The clock showed 2:45; this looked like
being a long night for Celtic .
Kolo Touré smashed one off his own post; Messi
slipped the ball through the legs of Nir Bitton to
thump narrowly wide; and Suárez slid in, inches
from providing the finish to what was essentially
a 40-yard one-two with Messi. A pattern seemed
to have been set early: Barcelona had the ball
while Celtic ran after it, usually arriving too late.
And yet, it was Ter Stegen who arrived late, on
22 minutes and momentarily gave life to this
game.
Scott Sinclair’s run began inside the centre
circle and took him to the edge of the area,
where he slipped the ball through to Dembélé.
Out came Ter Stegen, bringing him down for a
penalty. As the striker stood over the spot, the
German goalkeeper performed star jumps, a
bright orange-pink figure with even brighter
yellow extremities. Then, he dived to his right
and pushed the penalty away two-handed.
Rodgers lamented the opportunity lost and
Barcelona soon raced out of sight.
Rodgers had said Celtic’s opponents could find
space even if you parked two double-decker
buses, and this was a good example. Messi,
Neymar, Messi, Neymar, through tiny green and
white gaps they went, back and forth, until Messi
finished from barely a yard. Then Ivan Rakitic
had one cleared off the line and Neymar was
stopped by Dorus de Vries, although their
pressing did occasionally allow an exit route and
a neat combination released Kieran Tierney
whose pass was finished by Sinclair, in an
offside position.
Three minutes into the second half, Barcelona
had the third; the real destruction had begun,
Neymar curling in a free-kick. If the score
worried Rodgers the time probably did too: there
was more of this to come.
Neymar clipped in a cross for Iniesta, on as a
substitute for Rakitic at half-time, to do
something very unlike Iniesta: he absolutely
smashed the volley into the net. It was four
now; it would be five almost before they realised
it. Barely 15 seconds passed between Celtic
kicking off and the ball hitting their net. Again
the pressure was high, the passing was crisp.
Suárez pulled back for Messi to slide the ball in
and complete a hat-trick.
Barcelona players during their thrashing of
Celtic. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Images
It was not that Barcelona were rattling off shots
from all over the place; it is not their way and
they did not need to. Yes, Neymar had curled in
from 25 yards and Iniesta had belted his, but
Messi’s three came from a combined total of
hardly 15 yards and the two goals that followed
were from similar distances. Barcelona were
slicing through Celtic, the moves not finished
until they had virtually run out of pitch.
traditional route. Instead Neymar took it short to
Jordi Alba, who gave it back to him out on the
left touchline from where he cut back inside and,
with the defence stepping out, turned the ball
into the area for Messi to control and hit high
into the top corner from the edge of the six-yard
box. The clock showed 2:45; this looked like
being a long night for Celtic .
Kolo Touré smashed one off his own post; Messi
slipped the ball through the legs of Nir Bitton to
thump narrowly wide; and Suárez slid in, inches
from providing the finish to what was essentially
a 40-yard one-two with Messi. A pattern seemed
to have been set early: Barcelona had the ball
while Celtic ran after it, usually arriving too late.
And yet, it was Ter Stegen who arrived late, on
22 minutes and momentarily gave life to this
game.
Scott Sinclair’s run began inside the centre
circle and took him to the edge of the area,
where he slipped the ball through to Dembélé.
Out came Ter Stegen, bringing him down for a
penalty. As the striker stood over the spot, the
German goalkeeper performed star jumps, a
bright orange-pink figure with even brighter
yellow extremities. Then, he dived to his right
and pushed the penalty away two-handed.
Rodgers lamented the opportunity lost and
Barcelona soon raced out of sight.
Rodgers had said Celtic’s opponents could find
space even if you parked two double-decker
buses, and this was a good example. Messi,
Neymar, Messi, Neymar, through tiny green and
white gaps they went, back and forth, until Messi
finished from barely a yard. Then Ivan Rakitic
had one cleared off the line and Neymar was
stopped by Dorus de Vries, although their
pressing did occasionally allow an exit route and
a neat combination released Kieran Tierney
whose pass was finished by Sinclair, in an
offside position.
Three minutes into the second half, Barcelona
had the third; the real destruction had begun,
Neymar curling in a free-kick. If the score
worried Rodgers the time probably did too: there
was more of this to come.
Neymar clipped in a cross for Iniesta, on as a
substitute for Rakitic at half-time, to do
something very unlike Iniesta: he absolutely
smashed the volley into the net. It was four
now; it would be five almost before they realised
it. Barely 15 seconds passed between Celtic
kicking off and the ball hitting their net. Again
the pressure was high, the passing was crisp.
Suárez pulled back for Messi to slide the ball in
and complete a hat-trick.
Barcelona players during their thrashing of
Celtic. Photograph: Xinhua/Barcroft Images
It was not that Barcelona were rattling off shots
from all over the place; it is not their way and
they did not need to. Yes, Neymar had curled in
from 25 yards and Iniesta had belted his, but
Messi’s three came from a combined total of
hardly 15 yards and the two goals that followed
were from similar distances. Barcelona were
slicing through Celtic, the moves not finished
until they had virtually run out of pitch.
Celtic might have been deep by design but
Barcelona pushed them further and they could
not find a way out. Suárez and his team-mates
barely let them breathe. Barcelona combined
inside the area often. When, momentarily, the
visitors stepped up, leaving space, Barcelona
flooded into it with speed. Celtic may have
regretted their passivity.
Of the front three, only Suárez had not scored,
“that beautiful man”, Rodgers had called him and
he soon remedied that when Neymar clipped the
ball on to his chest by the corner of the six-yard
box. He controlled, turned and thumped the ball
into the roof of the net. Six, then seven. Another
short corner, Messi’s ball across and Suárez
poked it in from close range.
Barcelona pushed them further and they could
not find a way out. Suárez and his team-mates
barely let them breathe. Barcelona combined
inside the area often. When, momentarily, the
visitors stepped up, leaving space, Barcelona
flooded into it with speed. Celtic may have
regretted their passivity.
Of the front three, only Suárez had not scored,
“that beautiful man”, Rodgers had called him and
he soon remedied that when Neymar clipped the
ball on to his chest by the corner of the six-yard
box. He controlled, turned and thumped the ball
into the roof of the net. Six, then seven. Another
short corner, Messi’s ball across and Suárez
poked it in from close range.
Comments
Post a Comment