Analysis: Messi sinks Bayern’s Boat-eng

The Argentinian humiliates German defender, scores two goals and sets up another.

“It’s crucial to show authority when we meet on the pitch and show him [Lionel Messi] who’s boss,” Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had said in the build-up to their semi-final first-leg against Barcelona. That, uh, that didn’t go down too well for Neuer.

The Argentina skipper raised his game, as he often does, on the biggest of nights and scored two superb individual goals — embarrassing Neuer on both occasions — in three second-half minutes to leave the visitors with a mountain to climb. He then set up Neymar in the dying ambers of the match to ensure that the tie is all but over.

Guardiola’s claim before the match of an ‘unstoppable’ Messi hit much closer to home and the grimace after the third goal showed the Spaniard knows it may be curtains for his side. Since nullifying the Blaugrana attack for 90 minutes seems impossible at the moment, Bayern will have to score at least five goals if they are to have any hopes of progressing. While they have won their previous two home legs 7-0 and 6-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto respectively, doing so against Barcelona will be a different proposition altogether.

Up against perhaps the only team more adapt at keeping the ball than them, Barcelona’s front three found chances few and far between, with Neuer standing tall when everyone else in front of him failed.

With less than 15 minutes to go, it was clear it would take something special to beat Neuer and co. Messi, gracing his 100th European tie, produced just that. Shaping to curl the ball into the far corner from the right-hand side — having filled highlight reel upon highlight reel with such strikes — Messi outsmarted the World Cup winning goalkeeper by instead smashing it low and hard at the near post, wrong-footing the 29-year-old. 1-0 Barcelona; a worthy strike to bring up the Catalan’s 150th goal of the season.

If there is one thing Luis Enrique has instilled in this Barcelona side then it is a never-ending thirst for goals. After scoring one, they go on a goalscoring frenzy that takes the game away from the opponent in a matter of minutes. Against Cordoba they scored five goals in 22 minutes and then three more in eight minutes. Against Getafe they scored five in 23 minutes. Against Espanyol, two in eight minutes. Against Paris Saint-Germain, two in 12 minutes and two in 20. Against Sevilla, two in 15. Against Almeria, three in 35. And this is just in their last 10 games.

Here too they smelt blood. Bayern were wounded and the sharks started to circle. A second was inevitable — the fact that it came from Messi’s foot just as much so. Driving at Jerome Boateng, the Argentine once again shaped to cut inside, only to turn the other way at the last minute; sitting Boateng on his backside in the process. Neuer rushed forward. The 6’ 4” man did everything right. His angles were covered, he closed down quickly, he stood tall. Not tall enough. A delicate chip over Neuer’s desperate outstretched hand and, just three minutes after scoring his first, Messi was once again reeling away in joy.

To the German champions’ credit, they didn’t try to make it about damage limitation and instead tried to grab an all-important away goal.

That left spaces to exploit and the death knell rang when Messi picked up the ball after Luis Suarez was fouled and slid Neymar through, who slotted past Neuer to end the game.

If Guardiola had any hair left, he would have plucked them out at the frustration of not having his premium attackers — Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben — at his disposal, with a toothless Bayern failing to register a shot on target for the first time since October 2009.

But when all was said and done, it was clear that there is only one boss in football at the moment — and Neuer knows his name.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th,  2015.

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